Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 31, 2023

80 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 80 45 86
Feeder cattle 53 31 81
Slaughter cattle 27 10 5
Replacement cattle — 4 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Slaughter cattle 2.00 to 11.00 higher. Feeder cattle mostly steady to 5.00 higher. Demand Good, Activity Active, Offerings Light ( Hay Time ) Quality Average To Attractive.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
362–385 370 3 139.00–144.00 $142.26 $526 -23.74
422 422 2 168.00 $168.00 $709 +18.00
450 450 4 170.00 $170.00 $765 —
520 520 1 130.00 $130.00 $676 —
590 590 1 130.00 $130.00 $767 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–430 425 2 185.00–190.00 $187.47 $797 —
485 485 2 184.00 $184.00 $892 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 154.00 $154.00 $585 -30.00
500–535 518 2 160.00–170.00 $164.83 $854 -13.17
810 810 1 138.00 $138.00 $1,118 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 150.00 $150.00 $600 +18.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 200.00 $200.00 $520 —
300–320 310 2 220.00–231.00 $225.68 $700 —
410–420 418 4 226.00–240.00 $229.44 $959 —
460 460 2 238.00 $238.00 $1,095 —
505–520 513 2 200.00–212.00 $205.91 $1,056 -7.02
625 625 1 174.00 $174.00 $1,088 +16.00
960 960 1 100.00 $100.00 $960 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–405 403 3 211.00–220.00 $213.98 $862 —
465 465 2 216.00–220.00 $218.00 $1,014 —
530–535 533 2 180.00–187.00 $183.48 $978 —
640 640 1 179.00 $179.00 $1,146 —
685 685 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,137 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 200.00 $200.00 $650 —
426–445 436 4 170.00–180.00 $176.17 $768 —
505 505 1 186.00 $186.00 $939 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 1 154.00 $154.00 $393 -16.00
325 325 1 132.00 $132.00 $429 —
590 590 1 152.00 $152.00 $897 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–960 942 80-85% 3 70.00–77.00 $72.95 $687 —
985–1165 1088 80-85% 7 97.00–106.00 $101.82 $1,108 —
995–1485 1132 80-85% 6 85.00–94.00 $90.96 $1,030 -4.08
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1490 1260 75-80% 4 114.00–119.00 $116.80 $1,472 —
1305–1380 1343 75-80% 2 100.00–102.00 $101.03 $1,357 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
855 855 85-90% 1 90.00 $90.00 $770 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1825 1590 3 116.00–130.00 $123.54 $1,964 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 114.00 $114.00 $405 —
680 680 1 138.00 $138.00 $938 —

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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.