Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, July 8, 2026

186 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $458.01/cwt +48.01 vs last sale · ≈ $2,675/hd at 584 lb · 19 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $474.44/cwt +61.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,822/hd at 384 lb · 14 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $401.50/cwt -33.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,919/hd at 478 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 186 168 19
Feeder cattle 157 126 13
Slaughter cattle 22 31 6
Replacement cattle 7 11 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

No Sale Last Week Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality Average To Attractive Head Calve 1025.00

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
298 298 3 500.00 $500.00 $1,490 —
378 378 3 470.00 $470.00 $1,777 —
465 465 2 417.00 $417.00 $1,939 -58.98
505–535 518 3 400.00–442.00 $417.35 $2,162 -64.44
560–590 584 19 428.00–468.00 $458.01 $2,675 +48.01
600 600 1 408.00 $408.00 $2,448 —
820 820 3 394.00 $394.00 $3,231 —
906 906 4 337.00 $337.00 $3,053 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 439.00 $439.00 $1,734 —
430 430 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,462 -25.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
670 670 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,876 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 425.00 $425.00 $1,126 -40.00
305–345 320 3 400.00–445.00 $416.17 $1,332 +4.92
320 thin fleshed 320 1 460.00 $460.00 $1,472 —
365–389 384 13 440.00–480.00 $472.55 $1,815 +59.69
385 thin fleshed 385 1 499.00 $499.00 $1,921 —
415 thin fleshed 415 2 465.00 $465.00 $1,930 —
425–435 430 2 390.00–425.00 $407.30 $1,751 -16.53
462–490 471 7 440.00–449.00 $447.66 $2,108 +40.18
505–530 514 4 375.00–415.00 $386.31 $1,986 +19.98
560–595 573 3 345.00–362.00 $352.18 $2,018 -14.40
610 610 1 365.00 $365.00 $2,226 +39.84
672 672 6 349.00 $349.00 $2,345 +24.00
905 905 1 290.00 $290.00 $2,624 —
1028 1028 4 280.00 $280.00 $2,878 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 2 400.00 $400.00 $960 —
305 305 1 375.00 $375.00 $1,144 —
398 398 2 350.00 $350.00 $1,393 -2.71
480–490 485 2 365.00–385.00 $375.10 $1,819 —
525 525 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,838 +25.00
635 635 2 310.00–315.00 $312.50 $1,984 +12.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 450.00 $450.00 $1,080 —
335 335 1 475.00 $475.00 $1,591 —
360–365 362 5 457.00–490.00 $471.39 $1,706 +25.67
400–441 434 6 432.00–460.00 $455.70 $1,978 +4.80
455–490 478 13 375.00–415.00 $401.50 $1,919 -33.87
500–515 508 2 385.00–400.00 $392.39 $1,993 -32.61
550 550 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,200 -3.87
615–620 618 2 325.00–337.00 $331.02 $2,046 —
665 665 1 360.00 $360.00 $2,394 -11.95
769 769 5 385.00 $385.00 $2,961 —
815 815 1 312.00 $312.00 $2,543 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390–395 393 4 400.00–445.00 $415.08 $1,631 +24.61
400–435 418 2 379.00–400.00 $389.06 $1,626 -21.24
460–480 470 2 325.00–350.00 $337.77 $1,588 -37.23
570–575 573 2 335.00–350.00 $342.53 $1,963 -6.47
650 650 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,080 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,368 —
410 410 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,230 —
600 600 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,650 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990 990 80-85% 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,336 +23.00
1020–1150 1083 80-85% 4 175.00–197.00 $181.24 $1,963 —
990–1275 1145 80-85% 7 147.00–162.00 $158.68 $1,817 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1525 1420 75-80% 4 171.00–178.00 $174.12 $2,473 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875 875 85-90% 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,488 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055 1055 1 205.00 $205.00 $2,163 —
1270 1270 2 190.00–197.00 $193.50 $2,457 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
995 995 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100 1100 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 2,375.00 $2,375.00 —
1190 1190 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00 —
1260 1260 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,950.00 $2,950.00 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
645 645 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —

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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.