Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 1, 2026

152 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $461.85/cwt -27.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,931/hd at 418 lb · 11 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $391.54/cwt -66.86 vs last sale · ≈ $2,095/hd at 535 lb · 11 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $443.26/cwt -3.74 vs last sale · ≈ $2,145/hd at 484 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 152 371 86
Feeder cattle 121 349 76
Slaughter cattle 29 21 10
Replacement cattle 2 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 4.00 To 9.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 4.00 To 7.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality 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
305 305 1 600.00 $600.00 $1,830 —
360 360 1 555.00 $555.00 $1,998 +15.21
430–435 433 2 555.00–565.00 $559.97 $2,425 +33.74
455 455 1 502.00 $502.00 $2,284 -3.00
505–535 517 3 469.00–500.00 $481.86 $2,491 +0.59
559 559 5 490.00 $490.00 $2,739 +30.61
635 635 4 440.00 $440.00 $2,794 +25.04
730 730 1 369.00 $369.00 $2,694 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 490.00 $490.00 $1,127 -35.00
350–365 358 4 445.00–490.00 $471.24 $1,687 -34.45
408–430 418 11 449.00–469.00 $461.85 $1,931 -27.74
475–491 487 7 470.00–492.00 $488.23 $2,378 +15.23
510–545 535 11 370.00–408.00 $391.54 $2,095 -66.86
593–595 594 3 350.00–392.00 $377.97 $2,245 —
700–740 727 3 355.00 $355.00 $2,581 +8.27
760 760 2 332.00 $332.00 $2,523 —
870 870 1 235.00 $235.00 $2,044 —
910 910 1 220.00 $220.00 $2,002 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–365 360 2 370.00–420.00 $395.35 $1,423 -34.36
470–493 484 10 400.00–449.00 $443.26 $2,145 -3.74
525 525 1 359.00 $359.00 $1,885 -49.24
580 580 1 370.00 $370.00 $2,146 -10.00
610 610 1 307.00 $307.00 $1,873 ±0.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650 650 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,300 —
750 750 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,950 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–285 278 2 510.00–530.00 $519.73 $1,445 —
355–390 376 7 495.00–530.00 $515.11 $1,937 -7.91
385 value added 385 1 610.00 $610.00 $2,348 —
410–445 433 5 487.00–560.00 $516.85 $2,238 +14.84
480–490 483 4 459.00–469.00 $466.01 $2,251 -8.47
500–505 501 4 489.00–510.00 $496.49 $2,487 +30.72
550–560 557 3 420.00–450.00 $429.88 $2,394 +10.17
615 615 1 395.00 $395.00 $2,429 -82.00
670 670 1 395.00 $395.00 $2,646 +52.95
710 710 1 350.00 $350.00 $2,485 +8.07
760 760 1 349.00 $349.00 $2,652 +33.16
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–440 420 2 450.00–465.00 $457.86 $1,923 +12.51
495 495 1 432.00 $432.00 $2,138 —
520 520 2 445.00 $445.00 $2,314 +18.28
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–365 363 2 265.00–300.00 $282.38 $1,025 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1605 1413 75-80% 6 171.00–186.00 $175.71 $2,483 —
1320–1540 1462 75-80% 5 151.00–169.00 $163.87 $2,396 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1150 1080 80-85% 2 133.00–137.00 $134.87 $1,457 +14.87
950–1320 1135 80-85% 5 143.00–160.00 $153.46 $1,742 +10.10
1185–1215 1200 80-85% 3 167.00–174.00 $170.36 $2,044 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860 860 85-90% 1 129.00 $129.00 $1,109 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1515–1865 1690 2 189.00–190.00 $189.45 $3,202 —
1700–1805 1770 3 212.00–223.00 $216.06 $3,824 +11.91

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,025.00 $2,025.00
1505 1505 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,875.00 $2,875.00

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 195.00 $195.00 $429 —

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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.