Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 6, 2023

93 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 93 58 97
Feeder cattle 57 30 66
Slaughter cattle 36 28 31

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle Mostly Steady Feeder cattle Somewhat Lower Demand Moderate Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality Average

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 575 1 136.00 $136.00 $782 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 525 1 100.00 $100.00 $525 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,130 +30.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 168.00 $168.00 $798 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 192.00 $192.00 $461 —
275 275 1 194.00 $194.00 $534 +3.00
350–390 370 2 214.00–216.00 $215.05 $796 +35.05
400–425 417 3 208.00–214.00 $210.60 $878 +11.60
525–535 528 3 170.00–175.00 $173.34 $915 —
560 560 1 165.00 $165.00 $924 —
600–635 620 3 150.00–160.00 $154.91 $960 -55.09
660 660 1 142.00 $142.00 $937 —
700 700 3 157.00 $157.00 $1,099 —
775 775 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,085 —
815 815 2 135.00 $135.00 $1,100 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 168.00 $168.00 $697 -12.00
560–590 575 2 146.00–150.00 $148.05 $851 -21.95
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 160.00 $160.00 $624 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–320 310 2 200.00–217.00 $208.77 $647 +28.77
355–360 358 2 208.00–210.00 $209.01 $748 —
495 495 1 180.00 $180.00 $891 -30.00
565 565 1 152.00 $152.00 $859 —
605–630 617 3 140.00–150.00 $143.41 $885 —
665 665 1 130.00 $130.00 $864 -60.00
825 825 1 110.00 $110.00 $908 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 2 220.00–230.00 $225.00 $776 —
380 380 1 236.00 $236.00 $897 —
400–430 415 2 212.00–220.00 $215.86 $896 -9.05
520 520 1 180.00 $180.00 $936 -46.00
585 585 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,112 —
600 600 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,020 -29.00
685 685 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,082 -62.00
750 750 1 125.00 $125.00 $938 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
620 620 1 130.00 $130.00 $806 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1205 1069 80-85% 5 65.00–75.00 $68.02 $727 —
920–1270 1129 80-85% 8 79.00–89.00 $84.22 $951 +15.17
980–1300 1140 80-85% 2 40.00–50.00 $44.30 $505 -24.75
1010–1295 1177 80-85% 6 90.00–99.00 $94.03 $1,107 +16.56
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1240–1475 1378 75-80% 6 92.00–105.00 $97.45 $1,343 —
1520 1520 75-80% 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,429 -8.68
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–820 775 85-90% 2 25.00–30.00 $27.65 $214 —
810 810 85-90% 1 96.00 $96.00 $778 ±0.00
885 885 85-90% 1 85.00 $85.00 $752 +32.00
890 890 85-90% 1 66.00 $66.00 $587 +13.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2030–2100 2065 2 110.00–120.00 $114.92 $2,373 —

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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.