Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 29, 2023

139 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 139 72 172
Feeder cattle 96 57 142
Slaughter cattle 40 15 30
Replacement cattle 3 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 2.00 To 5.00 Higher Feeder cattle 7.00 To 12.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality Attractive

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–345 335 2 220.00–240.00 $229.70 $769 —
350–395 378 4 221.00–226.00 $223.71 $846 —
440 440 1 244.00 $244.00 $1,074 —
490 490 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,152 —
500–540 507 6 221.00–224.00 $223.47 $1,133 +7.47
565 565 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,181 +2.00
615–635 625 2 200.00–212.00 $205.90 $1,287 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 226.00 $226.00 $927 —
455 455 3 205.00 $205.00 $933 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 194.00 $194.00 $446 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 140.00 $140.00 $371 -18.00
320–335 328 2 130.00–138.00 $134.09 $440 —
365–385 375 2 164.00–165.00 $164.49 $617 —
500 500 4 165.00 $165.00 $825 —
575 575 1 166.00 $166.00 $954 —
605–645 630 4 151.00–154.00 $152.22 $959 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 208.00 $208.00 $572 —
300–340 320 2 164.00–179.00 $171.97 $550 —
350 350 1 188.00 $188.00 $658 —
415–440 428 2 184.00–189.00 $186.43 $798 +16.43
475–490 478 6 175.00–176.00 $175.83 $840 —
500 500 1 179.00 $179.00 $895 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 204.00 $204.00 $704 —
370–375 373 2 194.00–199.00 $196.48 $733 +15.48
400 400 1 197.00 $197.00 $788 —
450 450 1 196.00 $196.00 $882 +32.00
630 630 1 164.00 $164.00 $1,033 -1.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515 515 3 148.00 $148.00 $762 —
710 710 2 130.00–138.00 $134.00 $951 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 130.00 $130.00 $494 —
440 440 1 132.00 $132.00 $581 —
518 518 2 140.00 $140.00 $725 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–335 330 2 210.00–211.00 $210.51 $695 +18.51
400–440 414 4 206.00–216.00 $209.63 $868 -11.37
465–470 468 2 216.00–220.00 $218.01 $1,020 —
540 540 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,080 -20.00
555–560 558 2 205.00–206.00 $205.50 $1,147 +1.38
610–640 630 3 196.00–203.00 $200.74 $1,265 +12.74
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 175.00 $175.00 $350 +7.00
370 370 1 188.00 $188.00 $696 —
500–535 509 4 144.00–150.00 $148.42 $755 —
590 590 1 120.00 $120.00 $708 —
760 760 1 85.00 $85.00 $646 —
900 900 1 80.00 $80.00 $720 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 200.00 $200.00 $730 —
525 525 1 180.00 $180.00 $945 —
575 575 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,035 —
680 680 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,156 -16.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910 910 80-85% 1 50.00 $50.00 $455 —
945–965 955 80-85% 2 60.00–70.00 $64.95 $620 +0.95
925–1165 1047 80-85% 8 75.00–85.00 $79.03 $827 —
915–1320 1103 80-85% 6 87.00–91.00 $89.24 $984 +13.43
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1365 1242 75-80% 6 90.00–100.00 $93.71 $1,164 —
1460–1595 1528 75-80% 2 82.00–85.00 $83.57 $1,277 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
705 705 85-90% 1 54.00 $54.00 $381 —
745 745 85-90% 1 64.00 $64.00 $477 —
735–895 788 85-90% 3 75.00–82.00 $78.42 $618 —
840–855 848 85-90% 2 87.00–90.00 $88.49 $750 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245–1390 1318 2 95.00–97.00 $95.94 $1,264 —
1170–1885 1446 6 110.00–127.00 $118.48 $1,713 +8.20

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
900–1000 950 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 430.00–850.00 $651.05 —

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Dairy Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 110.00 $110.00 $478 +10.00
775 775 1 100.00 $100.00 $775 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 72.00 $72.00 $223 —
415–420 418 2 94.00 $94.00 $393 —

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Reading this report

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.