Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 3, 2023

72 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 72 118 123
Feeder cattle 47 89 97
Slaughter cattle 24 29 21
Replacement cattle 1 — 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 3.00 To 7.00 Lower Feeder cattle 4.00 To 8.00 Lower Demand Moderate Activity Moderate Offerings Light Quality Average

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 180.00 $180.00 $657 -3.27
425–443 440 6 180.00–192.00 $181.93 $800 —
490 490 3 170.00–184.00 $179.33 $879 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 134.00 $134.00 $288 —
300–325 313 2 151.00–160.00 $155.32 $486 —
395 395 1 140.00 $140.00 $553 -36.56
545 545 1 114.00 $114.00 $621 -36.00
620 620 1 114.00 $114.00 $707 —
750 750 1 101.00 $101.00 $758 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 2 212.00 $212.00 $731 —
460 460 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,021 -8.00
535 535 2 192.00–200.00 $196.00 $1,049 —
570 570 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,037 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
710 710 1 146.00 $146.00 $1,037 —
845 845 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,183 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205 205 1 122.00 $122.00 $250 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 166.00 $166.00 $415 -2.00
405–442 430 3 130.00–136.00 $134.11 $577 —
450–495 473 2 170.00 $170.00 $804 +17.39
620 620 1 142.00 $142.00 $880 —
740 740 1 138.00 $138.00 $1,021 +32.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–340 320 2 200.00 $200.00 $640 -20.00
445 445 1 200.00 $200.00 $890 -6.00
500 500 2 208.00 $208.00 $1,040 +8.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–340 327 3 251.00–258.00 $255.86 $837 +10.86
645 645 1 189.00 $189.00 $1,219 —
665 665 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,264 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 140.00 $140.00 $392 —
345 345 1 126.00 $126.00 $435 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
705–805 754 85-90% 5 47.00–60.00 $55.27 $417 —
770–895 832 85-90% 3 68.00–75.00 $72.67 $605 —
865–875 870 85-90% 2 86.00–90.00 $88.01 $766 -9.99
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–975 945 80-85% 2 94.00 $94.00 $888 +39.00
975–1010 993 80-85% 2 60.00–68.00 $64.07 $636 -32.93
1000 1000 80-85% 1 50.00 $50.00 $500 —
925–1105 1053 80-85% 5 75.00–80.00 $78.41 $826 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325 1325 75-80% 1 102.00 $102.00 $1,352 —
1445 1445 75-80% 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,228 -15.85

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1680 1478 2 110.00–115.00 $112.16 $1,658 —

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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
1000 1000 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 620.00 $620.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 134.00 $134.00 $348 —

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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.