Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 8, 2024

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 41 108
Feeder cattle 41 31 93
Slaughter cattle 29 10 15

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 6.00 To 7.00 Higher Feeder cattle Mostly Steady 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
450 450 3 278.00 $278.00 $1,251 —
510–530 523 3 278.00–280.00 $278.65 $1,457 —
560–565 562 3 255.00–267.00 $262.98 $1,478 —
600 600 3 264.00 $264.00 $1,584 —
660 660 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,650 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
640 640 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,568 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 295.00 $295.00 $959 —
360–375 370 3 287.00–291.00 $289.70 $1,072 —
450 450 2 266.00 $266.00 $1,197 +2.07
515 515 1 253.00 $253.00 $1,303 -12.00
565–575 572 3 247.00–249.00 $248.34 $1,421 -1.66
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 245.00 $245.00 $931 —
470 470 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,081 -10.00
575 575 1 157.50 $157.50 $906 —
615 615 1 157.00 $157.00 $966 —
655 655 1 153.00 $153.00 $1,002 —
705–740 723 2 135.00–148.00 $141.34 $1,022 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 2 250.00–252.00 $251.00 $1,205 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 2 310.00 $310.00 $620 —
260–280 270 2 310.00 $310.00 $837 —
390 390 1 311.00 $311.00 $1,213 +31.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,097 —
405 405 1 272.00 $272.00 $1,102 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 250.00 $250.00 $925 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925 925 80-85% 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,156 —
945–1255 1106 80-85% 8 88.00–92.00 $90.42 $1,000 -8.68
940–1230 1119 80-85% 4 100.00–113.00 $106.80 $1,195 +7.70
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1240–1515 1403 75-80% 3 120.00–134.00 $124.12 $1,741 —
1215–1780 1418 75-80% 8 105.00–117.00 $111.96 $1,588 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780 780 85-90% 1 85.00 $85.00 $663 +24.00
750–845 798 85-90% 2 109.00–110.00 $109.53 $874 +48.53
880 880 85-90% 1 92.00 $92.00 $810 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130 1130 1 115.00 $115.00 $1,300 —

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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.