Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 27, 2026

144 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $448.53/cwt -55.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,660/hd at 370 lb · 13 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $373.57/cwt -65.43 vs last sale · ≈ $2,178/hd at 583 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 144 302 24
Feeder cattle 127 266 22
Slaughter cattle 15 31 2
Replacement cattle 2 5 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 1.00 To 5.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 3.00 To 6.00 Lower 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
360–365 363 2 495.00–500.00 $497.52 $1,806 +32.52
415–440 425 3 460.00–485.00 $468.24 $1,990 -69.21
465 465 1 480.00 $480.00 $2,232 -5.77
510–535 523 2 365.00–385.00 $374.76 $1,960 -78.20
550 550 1 450.00 $450.00 $2,475 -15.00
646 646 5 429.00 $429.00 $2,771 —
910 910 2 290.00 $290.00 $2,639 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
635–640 638 2 369.00–375.00 $372.01 $2,373 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 475.00 $475.00 $950 -85.00
275–280 278 3 450.00–480.00 $466.59 $1,297 -63.41
325 325 1 535.00 $535.00 $1,739 +41.27
356–395 370 13 445.00–475.00 $448.53 $1,660 -55.97
435–438 437 5 437.00–460.00 $441.57 $1,930 -19.67
470–495 474 6 425.00–430.00 $429.13 $2,034 -38.72
500–545 533 7 350.00–377.00 $370.65 $1,976 -79.35
550–599 583 10 342.00–387.00 $373.57 $2,178 -65.43
680–685 683 2 350.00–365.00 $357.53 $2,442 -6.80
740 740 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,368 —
775 775 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,558 +16.53
875 875 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,750 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275–295 285 2 420.00–425.00 $422.41 $1,204 —
370–395 383 2 425.00 $425.00 $1,628 —
425–442 436 7 400.00–420.00 $416.52 $1,816 —
490 490 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,715 —
650–675 663 2 300.00–322.00 $311.21 $2,063 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–230 218 2 475.00–500.00 $488.22 $1,064 -129.68
280 280 1 485.00 $485.00 $1,358 -165.00
305–340 333 6 495.00–540.00 $513.88 $1,711 -71.12
354–395 370 9 485.00–535.00 $502.74 $1,860 -35.96
405 405 4 467.00 $467.00 $1,891 -20.50
450–495 472 3 400.00–435.00 $413.58 $1,952 -55.41
535 535 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,140 -25.91
585–595 588 5 385.00–437.00 $417.05 $2,452 +17.05
720 720 1 387.00 $387.00 $2,786 +15.98
755–785 770 2 282.00–330.00 $305.53 $2,353 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 425.00 $425.00 $1,785 -46.31
560 560 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,820 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,033 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1195 1118 80-85% 5 148.00–161.00 $154.40 $1,726 +31.40
1125–1235 1178 80-85% 3 175.00–176.00 $175.68 $2,070 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1430 1343 75-80% 3 179.00–189.00 $183.18 $2,460 —
1850 1850 75-80% 1 159.00 $159.00 $2,942 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
840 840 85-90% 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,134 +27.00
855 855 85-90% 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,120 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1715 1715 1 240.00 $240.00 $4,116 +25.22

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1195 1195 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,075.00 $2,075.00

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515–545 530 2 269.00–325.00 $297.79 $1,578 —
685 685 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,986 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
825 825 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,900.00 $2,900.00 —

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Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,071 —

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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.