Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 22, 2023

72 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Wilkes Livestock Exchange report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 72 185 165
Feeder cattle 57 158 97
Slaughter cattle 15 27 68

Compared to last week: Slaughter cattle mostly steady. Feeder cattle mostly steady. Demand Good with moderate activity and light offerings due to rain. Quality of cattle was average. Baby calves 50.00 to 90.00.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 2 216.00 $216.00 $1,166
564 564 2 207.00 $207.00 $1,167

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 3 181.00 $181.00 $634
442 442 2 185.00 $185.00 $818
450 450 2 164.00 $164.00 $738
620 620 3 165.00 $165.00 $1,023
1040 1040 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,186
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 132.00 $132.00 $290
260 260 1 158.00 $158.00 $411 +14.00
780 780 1 128.00 $128.00 $998 +52.00
815 815 1 94.00 $94.00 $766
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 3 170.00 $170.00 $731
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 120.00 $120.00 $390 -10.00

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 192.00 $192.00 $614
350 350 1 200.00 $200.00 $700
423 423 2 221.00 $221.00 $935
542 542 2 220.00 $220.00 $1,192
550–590 573 3 198.00–208.00 $204.12 $1,170
633 633 3 188.00 $188.00 $1,190
700 700 3 165.00 $165.00 $1,155
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 168.00 $168.00 $395
295 295 1 175.00 $175.00 $516
300 300 1 172.00 $172.00 $516
400 400 1 144.00 $144.00 $576 -24.00
475 475 1 149.00 $149.00 $708 -15.00
800 800 1 108.00 $108.00 $864
860 860 1 90.00 $90.00 $774 -26.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 188.00 $188.00 $423
440 440 1 198.00 $198.00 $871
475 475 2 189.00 $189.00 $898
685 685 1 186.00 $186.00 $1,274
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 116.00 $116.00 $331
355 355 1 107.00 $107.00 $380

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990 990 80-85% 1 64.00 $64.00 $634
1040–1225 1115 80-85% 5 72.00–82.00 $75.81 $845 +17.81
1020–1285 1118 80-85% 4 85.00–92.50 $87.14 $974 +29.14
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685 685 85-90% 1 77.00 $77.00 $527

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 1 90.00 $90.00 $972
1225–1580 1443 3 104.00–115.00 $110.28 $1,591 +12.91

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Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 104.00 $104.00 $411
445 445 1 100.00 $100.00 $445

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Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–385 368 2 88.00–94.00 $91.14 $335

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What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.