Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 18, 2024

79 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 79 32 64
Feeder cattle 58 21 33
Slaughter cattle 21 11 31

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 2.00 Higher Feeder cattle 3.00 To 5.00 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
375 375 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,200 —
585 585 1 279.00 $279.00 $1,632 —
660 660 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,617 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 1 190.00 $190.00 $931 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
170 170 1 275.00 $275.00 $468 —
225 225 1 275.00 $275.00 $619 —
305 305 1 270.00 $270.00 $824 —
350 350 1 230.00 $230.00 $805 -5.00
415–435 425 2 265.00–279.00 $272.16 $1,157 +37.16
450–495 473 3 249.00–257.00 $251.68 $1,190 +16.68
510–530 520 3 237.00–247.00 $241.35 $1,255 +3.35
640 640 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,120 -27.00
880 880 1 159.00 $159.00 $1,399 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 215.00 $215.00 $849 —
430 430 2 207.00–222.00 $214.50 $922 —
490 490 1 227.00 $227.00 $1,112 —
515–540 528 2 225.00–230.00 $227.44 $1,201 +67.44
555 555 1 150.00 $150.00 $832 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510 510 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,071 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 257.00 $257.00 $1,067 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 127.00 $127.00 $394 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 280.00 $280.00 $784 —
380–385 383 2 275.00–290.00 $282.45 $1,082 —
400 400 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,080 +5.00
455–480 466 4 279.00–292.00 $287.67 $1,341 +4.52
510–535 529 5 285.00–299.00 $292.15 $1,545 -42.85
560–570 565 2 280.00 $280.00 $1,582 —
650 650 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,404 —
710–730 720 2 197.00–199.00 $197.99 $1,426 —
750–780 765 2 170.00–180.00 $174.90 $1,338 —
815 815 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,483 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 200.00 $200.00 $470 —
360–385 373 2 210.00–214.00 $212.07 $791 —
485 485 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,018 —
585 585 1 259.00 $259.00 $1,515 —
660 660 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,254 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 175.00 $175.00 $779 —
550 550 1 160.00 $160.00 $880 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 130.00 $130.00 $552 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1105 1033 80-85% 3 70.00 $70.00 $723 —
1145 1145 80-85% 1 129.00 $129.00 $1,477 —
970–1295 1170 80-85% 3 90.00–95.00 $93.62 $1,095 -14.18
1045–1340 1214 80-85% 4 100.00–110.00 $103.53 $1,257 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325 1325 75-80% 1 116.00 $116.00 $1,537 —
1350–1655 1467 75-80% 5 100.00–108.00 $105.21 $1,543 +0.21
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805 805 85-90% 1 82.00 $82.00 $660 +12.50
810–890 850 85-90% 2 120.00–125.00 $122.38 $1,040 +16.38

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1870 1870 1 129.00 $129.00 $2,412 —

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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.