Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 28, 2024

104 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M 1 bulls $200.00/cwt -15.02 vs last sale · ≈ $1,070/hd at 535 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 104 121 93
Feeder cattle 76 97 71
Slaughter cattle 24 23 22
Replacement cattle 4 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 2.00 To 7.00 Higher Feeder cattle 3.00 To 6.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality Average To Attractive

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
335 335 1 276.00 $276.00 $925 —
690 690 1 243.00 $243.00 $1,677 —
790 790 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,738 —
815 815 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,728 —
905 905 1 119.00 $119.00 $1,077 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–295 273 2 160.00–168.00 $163.67 $447 —
370 370 1 200.00 $200.00 $740 —
435 435 1 186.00 $186.00 $809 -23.42
450–471 468 6 210.00–224.00 $221.75 $1,038 +17.13
580 580 1 160.00 $160.00 $928 -28.00
600 600 1 194.00 $194.00 $1,164 —
660–675 665 3 135.00–141.00 $137.03 $911 —
810 810 1 124.00 $124.00 $1,004 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210 210 1 230.00 $230.00 $483 —
270 270 1 272.00 $272.00 $734 -12.00
345 345 1 288.00 $288.00 $994 —
350 350 1 270.00 $270.00 $945 -20.00
400–430 415 3 262.00–274.00 $266.79 $1,107 +2.12
465–485 475 2 258.00–266.00 $262.08 $1,245 -1.88
575 575 1 226.00 $226.00 $1,300 -8.01
600 600 1 208.00 $208.00 $1,248 +8.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 268.00 $268.00 $804 +34.00
420 420 2 250.00 $250.00 $1,050 +5.06
485–495 490 2 244.00–246.00 $245.01 $1,201 +15.01
510 510 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,071 -12.51
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–295 278 2 145.00–154.00 $149.78 $416 -1.22
585 585 1 130.00 $130.00 $760 -34.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 252.00 $252.00 $781 —
460 460 1 200.00 $200.00 $920 -28.91
535 535 12 200.00 $200.00 $1,070 -15.02
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
195 195 1 200.00 $200.00 $390 —
325 325 1 272.00 $272.00 $884 -22.00
395 395 1 262.00 $262.00 $1,035 +2.00
400 400 1 278.00 $278.00 $1,112 +14.61
485 485 1 214.00 $214.00 $1,038 -49.45
525–540 533 3 245.00–248.00 $246.35 $1,313 -3.65
570–590 580 2 216.00–230.00 $222.88 $1,293 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 328 2 298.00–300.00 $298.96 $981 -29.04
395 395 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,106 -23.00
400 400 1 292.00 $292.00 $1,168 ±0.00
485–495 492 3 236.00–248.00 $241.34 $1,187 -26.66
500 500 1 268.00 $268.00 $1,340 —
605 605 1 252.00 $252.00 $1,525 +6.67

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1070 1058 80-85% 2 82.00–86.00 $84.02 $889 —
1010–1355 1158 80-85% 5 90.00–100.00 $95.16 $1,102 +7.02
1300 1300 80-85% 1 112.00 $112.00 $1,456 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340–1790 1485 75-80% 6 100.00–112.00 $103.34 $1,535 -1.69
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
690 690 85-90% 2 90.00 $90.00 $621 —
840–865 853 85-90% 2 56.00–60.00 $57.97 $494 -30.03

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160 1160 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,044 —
1320–1490 1420 3 100.00–113.00 $106.17 $1,508 —
1110–2185 1648 2 124.00–131.00 $128.64 $2,120 —

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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
1220–1225 1223 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,600.00–1,700.00 $1,649.90 —

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Dairy Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 116.00 $116.00 $406 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 112.00 $112.00 $392 —

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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.