Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 14, 2024

56 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 56 211 118
Feeder cattle 39 187 90
Slaughter cattle 17 23 28
Replacement cattle — 1 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle Mostly Steady Feeder cattle Mostly Steady Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light (Wet and Muddy) 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
435 435 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,131 ±0.00
515 515 2 240.00–244.00 $242.00 $1,246 -17.44
565 565 1 264.00 $264.00 $1,492 +14.00
790 790 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,580 —
1035 1035 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,760 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 210.00 $210.00 $945 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 232.00 $232.00 $603 —
325 325 2 244.00–258.00 $251.00 $816 -1.00
350–375 363 2 238.00–240.00 $238.97 $867 -16.13
400 400 1 268.00 $268.00 $1,072 +13.61
500–505 503 2 204.00–214.00 $208.98 $1,051 -3.61
820 820 1 202.00 $202.00 $1,656 —
850 850 3 170.00 $170.00 $1,445 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–325 320 2 202.00–208.00 $205.05 $656 —
410 410 1 220.00 $220.00 $902 -7.79
450 450 1 188.00 $188.00 $846 -30.00
560–575 568 2 184.00–185.00 $184.49 $1,048 +18.49
635 635 1 150.00 $150.00 $952 -23.26
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–435 425 2 190.00–200.00 $195.12 $829 +10.01
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 225.00 $225.00 $855 —
405 405 1 234.00 $234.00 $948 -7.62

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205 205 1 250.00 $250.00 $512 —
350 350 1 268.00 $268.00 $938 -17.31
415 415 1 228.00 $228.00 $946 -39.00
545 545 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,417 ±0.00
630 630 1 256.00 $256.00 $1,613 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 186.00 $186.00 $660 -50.50
415 415 1 192.00 $192.00 $797 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 122.00 $122.00 $549 —
625 625 1 168.00 $168.00 $1,050 +48.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–930 920 80-85% 2 45.00–59.00 $52.08 $479 —
920–1065 995 80-85% 3 70.00–76.00 $73.79 $734 —
975–1415 1129 80-85% 5 80.00–92.00 $85.51 $965 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1530 1392 75-80% 3 102.00 $102.00 $1,420 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195 1195 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,195 —
1210–1560 1355 3 130.00–137.00 $132.83 $1,800 +32.83

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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.