Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 5, 2026 Corrected report

86 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 86 153 39
Feeder cattle 64 117 31
Slaughter cattle 18 34 8
Replacement cattle 4 2 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 6..00 To 8.00 Lower Feeder Cattle 8.00 To 18.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light 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
395 395 1 497.00 $497.00 $1,963 —
440 440 1 455.00 $455.00 $2,002 —
495 495 1 430.00 $430.00 $2,128 -15.00
545 545 1 417.00 $417.00 $2,273 —
640 640 1 340.00 $340.00 $2,176 -59.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 462.00 $462.00 $1,825 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–342 330 3 490.00–505.00 $494.63 $1,632 +25.63
390 390 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,482 —
420 420 1 469.00 $469.00 $1,970 +63.00
460–475 468 2 427.00–442.00 $434.62 $2,034 +27.62
510–542 533 8 370.00–385.00 $373.68 $1,992 +28.80
582 582 2 340.00 $340.00 $1,979 -9.00
600–635 609 4 320.00–332.00 $326.41 $1,988 +4.41
650 650 1 317.00 $317.00 $2,060 +29.50
885 885 1 239.00 $239.00 $2,115 +23.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–445 435 4 425.00–442.00 $430.09 $1,871 +56.71
685 685 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,850 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 555.00 $555.00 $1,693 +62.38
385–390 388 3 465.00–479.00 $469.69 $1,822 +38.31
425 425 2 450.00 $450.00 $1,912 +18.00
460 460 1 427.00 $427.00 $1,964 -2.00
505–545 517 5 402.00–412.00 $407.13 $2,105 +22.13
550 550 2 395.00 $395.00 $2,172 +8.00
620–625 623 2 335.00–345.00 $339.98 $2,118 -25.16
665 665 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,194 -20.00
880 880 1 242.00 $242.00 $2,130 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,159 —
410–440 425 2 400.00 $400.00 $1,700 +20.00
460 460 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,702 -10.26
500 500 1 395.00 $395.00 $1,975 —
650 650 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,755 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1030 968 80-85% 3 125.00–133.00 $128.82 $1,247 -8.18
930–1440 1149 80-85% 8 140.00–165.00 $153.01 $1,758 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200–1355 1278 75-80% 2 174.00–175.00 $174.53 $2,230 —
1485–1550 1518 75-80% 2 166.00–167.00 $166.51 $2,528 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
785 785 85-90% 1 110.00 $110.00 $864 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370–1960 1665 2 200.00–208.00 $204.71 $3,408 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1015 1015 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00
1130 1130 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,925.00 $1,925.00
1275 1275 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,200.00 $2,200.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
890 890 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,700.00 $2,700.00 —

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Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
720 720 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,368 —

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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.