Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 8, 2026

197 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $346.64/cwt -8.36 vs last sale · ≈ $2,482/hd at 716 lb · 21 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $480.48/cwt +14.47 vs last sale · ≈ $2,316/hd at 482 lb · 13 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $475.18/cwt -13.05 vs last sale · ≈ $2,224/hd at 468 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 197 152 42
Feeder cattle 174 121 34
Slaughter cattle 23 29 8
Replacement cattle — 2 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 7.00 To 12.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 10.00 To 16.00 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
395 395 1 522.00 $522.00 $2,062 -33.00
420 420 1 447.00 $447.00 $1,877 -112.97
475–480 478 3 490.00–495.00 $491.66 $2,350 -10.34
500–510 509 12 490.00–520.00 $517.55 $2,634 +35.69
575–580 578 2 485.00–490.00 $487.49 $2,818 -2.51
605 605 1 437.00 $437.00 $2,644 -3.00
725 725 1 347.00 $347.00 $2,516 -22.00
825 825 2 337.00 $337.00 $2,780 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–235 220 2 505.00–515.00 $510.34 $1,123 +20.34
285 285 1 480.00 $480.00 $1,368 —
310–340 323 3 469.00–510.00 $483.69 $1,562 —
375–380 378 2 470.00–500.00 $485.10 $1,834 +13.86
405–430 420 4 457.00–507.00 $477.79 $2,007 +15.94
459–495 468 13 459.00–485.00 $475.18 $2,224 -13.05
503–545 514 5 372.00–447.00 $403.04 $2,072 +11.50
560–586 571 7 397.00–435.00 $418.29 $2,388 +40.32
684 684 4 345.00 $345.00 $2,360 —
714–740 716 21 325.00–349.00 $346.64 $2,482 -8.36
760 760 1 325.00 $325.00 $2,470 -7.00
825 825 2 307.00 $307.00 $2,533 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–230 218 2 470.00–480.00 $474.71 $1,035 —
340 340 1 455.00 $455.00 $1,547 —
425–445 437 6 422.00–489.00 $457.51 $1,999 —
495–496 496 4 442.00–450.00 $448.00 $2,222 +4.74
508 508 2 392.00 $392.00 $1,991 +33.00
555–570 560 3 360.00–382.00 $370.77 $2,076 +0.77
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650 650 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,982 +105.00
800 800 1 270.00 $270.00 $2,160 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–240 225 2 565.00–570.00 $567.33 $1,276 —
250–280 273 4 525.00–570.00 $551.15 $1,505 +31.42
305–320 311 4 510.00–527.00 $519.17 $1,615 —
385 385 2 487.00–545.00 $516.00 $1,987 +0.89
425–440 435 4 470.00–502.00 $484.07 $2,106 -32.78
450–495 482 13 460.00–497.00 $480.48 $2,316 +14.47
505–530 525 6 440.00–470.00 $454.55 $2,386 -41.94
560 560 2 435.00–460.00 $447.50 $2,506 +17.62
605–633 620 4 392.00–427.00 $402.58 $2,496 +7.58
657–673 668 11 375.00–395.00 $389.69 $2,603 -5.31
710 710 1 370.00 $370.00 $2,627 +20.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,292 —
350–385 368 2 385.00–520.00 $455.71 $1,677 —
415 415 1 417.00 $417.00 $1,731 -40.86
555 555 1 440.00 $440.00 $2,442 —
795 795 1 297.00 $297.00 $2,361 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
610 610 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,678 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935–1245 1078 80-85% 8 172.00–185.00 $178.34 $1,923 +43.47
905–1205 1098 80-85% 6 152.00–168.00 $163.41 $1,794 +28.54
1120 1120 80-85% 1 147.00 $147.00 $1,646 -6.46
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
855 855 85-90% 1 152.00 $152.00 $1,300 +23.00
850–885 868 85-90% 2 125.00–130.00 $127.45 $1,106 -1.55
880 880 85-90% 1 194.00 $194.00 $1,707 +65.00
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1465 1368 75-80% 4 180.00–188.00 $184.83 $2,528 —

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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.