Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 13, 2023

70 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 70 93 110
Feeder cattle 38 57 65
Slaughter cattle 32 36 45

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 3.00 To 5.00 Higher Feeder cattle 3.00 To 10.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Moderate Offerings Light Quality Average

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 2 218.00–228.00 $223.00 $624 +29.00
325 325 1 220.00 $220.00 $715 —
350–398 382 3 201.00–206.00 $202.53 $774 -12.52
410–420 418 5 208.00–216.00 $214.43 $896 +3.83
550 550 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,100 +35.00
810 810 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,134 +5.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 185.00 $185.00 $879 —
830 830 1 98.00 $98.00 $813 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 1 144.00 $144.00 $806 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 220.00 $220.00 $737 -5.00
370 370 2 246.00 $246.00 $910 +10.00
402 402 4 237.00 $237.00 $953 +21.14
805 805 1 132.00 $132.00 $1,063 —
910 910 1 124.00 $124.00 $1,128 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 4 210.00 $210.00 $819 +0.99
480 480 1 188.00 $188.00 $902 +8.00
535 535 1 204.00 $204.00 $1,091 —
650 650 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,040 +30.00
720 720 1 120.00 $120.00 $864 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 162.00 $162.00 $470 —
470 470 2 168.00 $168.00 $790 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 164.00 $164.00 $959 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755–960 887 80-85% 3 30.00–57.00 $48.25 $428 —
900–1385 1096 80-85% 5 66.00–75.00 $73.34 $804 +5.32
1160–1310 1224 80-85% 5 77.00–88.00 $83.44 $1,021 —
1250–1355 1303 80-85% 2 96.00–104.00 $99.84 $1,301 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1595 1350 75-80% 13 90.00–97.00 $93.22 $1,258 -4.23
1385 1385 75-80% 1 80.00 $80.00 $1,108 -17.45

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1450 1268 2 124.00–134.00 $128.28 $1,627 —
1650–1965 1808 2 108.00–119.00 $113.02 $2,043 —

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Dairy Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 182.00 $182.00 $410 —

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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.