Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 12, 2023

83 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 83 118 272
Feeder cattle 51 91 185
Slaughter cattle 32 27 87

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Slaughter cattle 3.00 to 7.00 higher. Feeder cattle 9.00 to 11.00 higher. Demand Good, Activity Active, Offerings Light, 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
285 285 1 250.00 $250.00 $712 +25.00
310 310 1 228.00 $228.00 $707 —
520 520 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,144 —
560 560 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,210 -9.01
610–635 623 2 223.00–226.00 $224.53 $1,399 —
757 757 4 187.00 $187.00 $1,416 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 200.00 $200.00 $900 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 214.00 $214.00 $621 —
340 340 1 201.00 $201.00 $683 —
534–535 534 6 169.00–180.00 $178.16 $951 +2.50
560–570 565 2 176.00–182.00 $179.03 $1,012 +9.03
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 218.00 $218.00 $741 —
435–445 441 4 190.00–204.00 $196.05 $865 +2.05
450 450 1 204.00 $204.00 $918 —
565 565 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,130 -8.00
690 690 2 162.00 $162.00 $1,118 —
800 800 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,120 -17.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 186.00 $186.00 $725 —
535 535 1 149.00 $149.00 $797 +13.00
650 650 1 140.00 $140.00 $910 +10.00
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 1 120.00 $120.00 $558 —
695 695 1 125.00 $125.00 $869 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570 570 1 176.00 $176.00 $1,003 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 240.00 $240.00 $648 —
325 325 1 250.00 $250.00 $812 +20.00
365 365 1 247.00 $247.00 $902 +37.00
415 415 1 236.00 $236.00 $979 —
490 490 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,088 +6.00
545 545 1 226.00 $226.00 $1,232 —
625–630 629 4 200.00–215.00 $211.27 $1,329 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 1 166.00 $166.00 $938 +11.00
750 750 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,050 -22.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1135 1008 80-85% 4 66.00–77.00 $71.22 $718 -13.43
955–1190 1062 80-85% 5 82.00–90.00 $85.11 $904 —
1060–1125 1093 80-85% 2 101.00–107.00 $104.09 $1,138 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200–1575 1385 75-80% 5 95.00–106.00 $100.97 $1,398 —
1430–1800 1553 75-80% 3 88.00–92.00 $90.16 $1,400 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
695–755 725 85-90% 3 50.00–61.00 $55.60 $403 —
700–875 788 85-90% 2 100.00–104.00 $102.22 $805 +6.62
765–815 790 85-90% 2 76.00–89.00 $82.71 $653 -12.89

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1530 1395 4 106.00–113.00 $109.12 $1,522 —
1925–2160 2043 2 128.00–132.00 $130.12 $2,658 +18.12

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Dairy Heifers

Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 110.00 $110.00 $385 —

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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.