Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 31, 2024

50 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 50 86 69
Feeder cattle 37 64 59
Slaughter cattle 12 22 10
Replacement cattle 1 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 3..00 To 6.00 Higher Feeder cattle 6.00 To 8.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light (Cold ) Quality Average

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 227.00 $227.00 $1,044 —
525 525 1 254.00 $254.00 $1,334 +10.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 1 150.00 $150.00 $840 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 202.00 $202.00 $798 -30.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 245.00 $245.00 $833 +7.55
355–360 358 2 240.00–250.00 $244.97 $877 +0.56
500–503 503 6 224.00–229.00 $224.83 $1,131 —
555 555 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,160 +9.00
680 680 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,190 +35.00
785 785 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,217 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 525 3 211.00 $211.00 $1,108 +13.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 185.00 $185.00 $481 —
700 700 1 136.00 $136.00 $952 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 215.00 $215.00 $494 —
305 305 1 250.00 $250.00 $762 -2.00
440 440 1 251.00 $251.00 $1,104 +10.11
470 470 1 224.00 $224.00 $1,053 +18.00
560 560 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,372 +17.00
600–620 610 2 209.00–220.00 $214.59 $1,309 —
655 655 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,441 —
740 740 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,347 —
765 765 1 177.00 $177.00 $1,354 —
925 925 1 143.00 $143.00 $1,323 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 200.00 $200.00 $860 +20.00
595 595 1 166.00 $166.00 $988 —
685 685 1 151.00 $151.00 $1,034 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–420 418 2 230.00 $230.00 $961 +4.00

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
765 765 85-90% 1 90.00 $90.00 $688 —
770 770 85-90% 1 33.00 $33.00 $254 —
820–860 840 85-90% 2 60.00–65.00 $62.44 $524 —
875 875 85-90% 1 100.00 $100.00 $875 +30.00
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980 980 80-85% 1 50.00 $50.00 $490 —
1080–1375 1228 80-85% 2 118.00–121.00 $119.68 $1,470 —
1260 1260 80-85% 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,210 -0.33
1420 1420 80-85% 1 80.00 $80.00 $1,136 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395 1395 75-80% 1 74.00 $74.00 $1,032 -6.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2135 2135 1 128.00 $128.00 $2,733 —

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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
1060 1060 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —

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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.