Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 24, 2023

45 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 45 90 101
Feeder cattle 31 65 81
Slaughter cattle 10 25 20
Replacement cattle 4 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle Mostly steady Feeder cattle Mostly steady Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light ( Hay Time ) Quality Average

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 1 170.00 $170.00 $774 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 135.00 $135.00 $418 —
350 350 2 166.00 $166.00 $581 +16.00
400 400 1 150.00 $150.00 $600 -12.18
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 120.00 $120.00 $408 —
360 360 1 140.00 $140.00 $504 +8.00
405 405 1 132.00 $132.00 $535 -0.48
655 655 1 82.00 $82.00 $537 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 170.00 $170.00 $544 —
612–625 616 3 168.00–180.00 $172.06 $1,060 +9.05
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 184.00 $184.00 $727 —
512 512 2 178.00 $178.00 $911 +38.00
570 570 1 156.00 $156.00 $889 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 100.00 $100.00 $420 -8.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 3 208.00 $208.00 $811 -31.00
510–535 523 2 210.00–216.00 $212.93 $1,114 —
620 620 1 158.00 $158.00 $980 —
780 780 1 128.00 $128.00 $998 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 170.00 $170.00 $484 —
350 350 1 150.00 $150.00 $525 —
485 485 1 156.00 $156.00 $757 +14.00
500–505 503 2 146.00–153.00 $149.52 $752 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 1 120.00 $120.00 $600 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005 1005 80-85% 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,106 —
1095–1180 1138 80-85% 2 94.00–96.00 $95.04 $1,082 +0.58
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140 1140 75-80% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,026 —
1390 1390 75-80% 1 95.00 $95.00 $1,320 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1135 1070 2 109.00–111.00 $110.06 $1,178 —
1305–2215 1763 3 119.00–124.50 $121.09 $2,135 —

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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
1600 1600 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,950.00 $1,950.00 —

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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.