Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 6, 2026

212 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $433.85/cwt +21.27 vs last sale · ≈ $2,221/hd at 512 lb · 42 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $476.99/cwt ≈ $2,490/hd at 522 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 212 199 62
Feeder cattle 165 167 57
Slaughter cattle 28 32 1
Replacement cattle 19 — 4

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle Mostly Steady Feeder Cattle 6.00 To 12.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Heavy Quality Average To Attractive Head Calves 420.00 To 700.00

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
245 245 1 605.00 $605.00 $1,482 +10.00
295 295 1 610.00 $610.00 $1,800 —
385–395 390 2 540.00 $540.00 $2,106 +11.00
433 433 4 527.00 $527.00 $2,282 +1.89
461–485 469 5 495.00–508.00 $503.71 $2,362 -16.29
505–524 522 11 474.00–508.00 $476.99 $2,490 —
555–560 558 2 467.00–480.00 $473.53 $2,642 +24.58
660 660 1 422.00 $422.00 $2,785 +2.00
700 700 1 362.00 $362.00 $2,534 +37.00
750 750 1 365.00 $365.00 $2,738 —
880 880 1 325.00 $325.00 $2,860 —
940 940 1 282.00 $282.00 $2,651 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–395 388 2 470.00–500.00 $484.71 $1,881 —
410 410 1 430.00 $430.00 $1,763 —
460–480 468 4 430.00–452.00 $440.82 $2,063 —
540–543 542 4 375.00–427.00 $414.05 $2,244 —
585 585 1 425.00 $425.00 $2,486 —
690 690 1 347.00 $347.00 $2,394 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,462 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 475.00 $475.00 $1,378 -20.00
325 325 1 460.00 $460.00 $1,495 +5.00
380–385 383 3 412.00–450.00 $424.56 $1,626 -41.62
406–440 416 8 400.00–460.00 $448.39 $1,865 -32.36
450–480 460 3 432.00–449.00 $437.91 $2,014 -38.43
510–515 512 42 410.00–455.00 $433.85 $2,221 +21.27
555 555 1 425.00 $425.00 $2,359 +40.98
631 631 7 362.00 $362.00 $2,284 -3.00
695 695 1 300.00 $300.00 $2,085 —
755 755 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,227 —
945 945 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,693 —
1000 1000 1 235.00 $235.00 $2,350 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 395.00 $395.00 $1,165 —
498 498 4 380.00 $380.00 $1,892 —
525 525 1 372.00 $372.00 $1,953 —
550–570 562 3 360.00–382.00 $370.80 $2,084 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–290 273 3 610.00–625.00 $615.30 $1,680 +30.15
310–340 323 4 555.00–590.00 $571.82 $1,847 +27.09
360–380 373 4 490.00–550.00 $524.53 $1,956 -3.45
435 435 1 467.00 $467.00 $2,031 -38.00
455–492 474 8 415.00–485.00 $469.89 $2,227 -1.42
505 505 1 457.00 $457.00 $2,308 +11.70
550–585 567 6 427.00–470.00 $434.46 $2,463 -2.37
605 605 1 329.00 $329.00 $1,990 -111.00
720 720 1 315.00 $315.00 $2,268 —
900 900 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,565 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–380 378 2 425.00–485.00 $455.20 $1,721 —
505–525 515 2 412.00–420.00 $415.92 $2,142 +3.92
560–575 568 2 420.00–425.00 $422.47 $2,400 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 300.00 $300.00 $990 —
420 420 1 355.00 $355.00 $1,491 —
560–575 568 2 250.00–300.00 $275.33 $1,564 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920 920 80-85% 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,049 —
925 925 80-85% 1 80.00 $80.00 $740 —
905–1145 1028 80-85% 4 160.00–170.00 $163.92 $1,685 -28.65
1025–1620 1187 80-85% 8 143.00–158.00 $152.68 $1,812 -3.25
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
665–860 763 85-90% 2 80.00–100.00 $88.72 $677 +8.72
830 830 85-90% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,079 -61.28
870–895 883 85-90% 2 107.00–120.00 $113.41 $1,001 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1320 1275 75-80% 2 167.00–175.00 $170.86 $2,178 —
1345–1420 1392 75-80% 3 150.00–153.00 $152.03 $2,116 -17.93

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215 1215 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,640 —
1305–1515 1410 2 188.00–190.00 $188.93 $2,664 —
1575 1575 1 223.00 $223.00 $3,512 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
980 980 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,150.00 $2,150.00
1030 1030 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 1,775.00 $1,775.00
1140 1140 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 1,675.00 $1,675.00
995–1520 1195 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,850.00–2,500.00 $2,163.78
1380 1380 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,150.00 $2,150.00
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,750.00 $1,750.00
850 850 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 900.00 $900.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
760–820 787 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,475.00–3,600.00 $2,915.47 —
755–870 795 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,850.00–3,600.00 $2,905.56 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
900–940 920 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,900.00–1,950.00 $1,924.46 —
945 945 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,650.00 $2,650.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
735 735 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,352 —

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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.