Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 26, 2026 Corrected report

333 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $331.00/cwt -2.51 vs last sale · ≈ $2,135/hd at 645 lb · 61 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $372.24/cwt -49.76 vs last sale · ≈ $1,820/hd at 489 lb · 48 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $408.93/cwt -15.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,791/hd at 438 lb · 20 head
North Wilkesboro 6-weight heifers sold at $321/cwt, above the state average — $14/cwt above the NC average ($307) — and the highest of the 4 yards reporting the class. The class is down $23/cwt from its early August peak of $329. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 333 370 54
Feeder cattle 308 325 39
Slaughter cattle 15 16 13
Replacement cattle 10 29 2

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 1.00 To 6.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 4.00 To 8.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Heavy 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
355 355 1 485.00 $485.00 $1,722 —
435 435 1 377.00 $377.00 $1,640 -72.00
486 486 4 391.00 $391.00 $1,900 -31.03
542–548 543 16 369.00–382.00 $370.64 $2,013 -56.36
552 552 7 392.00 $392.00 $2,164 +13.56
623–630 624 6 354.00–357.00 $356.50 $2,225 -24.50
664 664 16 341.00 $341.00 $2,264 +4.00
735–747 745 11 325.00–329.00 $328.28 $2,446 —
803 803 3 293.00 $293.00 $2,353 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520 520 1 345.00 $345.00 $1,794 —
580 580 1 365.00 $365.00 $2,117 +17.96
640 640 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,112 +30.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,488 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225–235 230 2 350.00 $350.00 $805 -50.00
330–340 335 2 400.00–405.00 $402.46 $1,348 -17.54
385–396 391 6 392.00–408.00 $398.57 $1,558 +21.57
420–440 438 20 379.00–413.00 $408.93 $1,791 -15.97
460–490 489 48 360.00–375.00 $372.24 $1,820 —
525 525 2 359.00–360.00 $359.50 $1,887 -25.96
555–575 561 5 340.00–357.00 $351.12 $1,970 -0.88
645 645 61 331.00 $331.00 $2,135 -2.51
659–685 664 9 260.00–275.00 $271.48 $1,803 -80.52
784 thin fleshed 784 9 389.00 $389.00 $3,050 —
865 865 2 247.00 $247.00 $2,137 -17.66
920 920 1 229.00 $229.00 $2,107 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
207 207 2 292.00 $292.00 $604 —
430 430 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,505 -29.00
460–496 485 6 330.00–350.00 $346.04 $1,678 -22.29
560–565 562 3 300.00–330.00 $316.71 $1,780 -3.29
605 605 2 262.00–265.00 $263.50 $1,594 —
695 695 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,738 —
753 753 2 260.00 $260.00 $1,958 —
880 880 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,848 —
945 945 1 215.00 $215.00 $2,032 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 540.00 $540.00 $1,323 —
250–295 277 3 450.00–475.00 $457.53 $1,267 —
300 300 1 480.00 $480.00 $1,440 -18.21
355–388 370 8 450.00–475.00 $464.88 $1,720 -8.18
425–435 430 2 387.00–400.00 $393.42 $1,692 -16.58
485–492 490 4 370.00 $370.00 $1,813 -40.00
500–515 508 2 367.00–375.00 $371.06 $1,885 -59.94
550 550 1 355.00 $355.00 $1,952 -18.14
750 750 1 242.00 $242.00 $1,815 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 2 400.00–455.00 $427.50 $983 —
445 445 1 335.00 $335.00 $1,491 ±0.00
470 470 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,434 -30.00
500–540 532 6 330.00–352.00 $339.36 $1,805 -22.03
585–590 588 2 315.00–342.00 $328.44 $1,931 -16.62
600 600 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,830 -33.25
745 745 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,714 —
750 750 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,650 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,272 —
560–575 568 2 220.00–235.00 $227.60 $1,293 —
625 625 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,438 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060 1060 80-85% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,378 —
1060–1215 1153 80-85% 6 151.00–168.00 $159.93 $1,844 -9.42
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1540 1458 75-80% 3 164.00–169.00 $165.91 $2,419 —
1690 1690 75-80% 1 127.00 $127.00 $2,146 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875 875 85-90% 1 133.00 $133.00 $1,164 —
875 875 85-90% 1 134.00 $134.00 $1,172 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1575 1575 1 213.00 $213.00 $3,355 —
2220 2220 1 188.00 $188.00 $4,174 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
945–1185 1075 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,450.00–2,400.00 $1,915.67
925–1245 1085 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,000.00–2,050.00 $2,028.69
1275 1275 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,100.00 $3,100.00

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 1 150.00 $150.00 $892 —
610 610 1 204.00 $204.00 $1,244 —
765 765 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,698 —

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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
1250 1250 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 4,050.00 $4,050.00 —
1275 1275 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 3,300.00 $3,300.00 —
1280 1280 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 3,100.00 $3,100.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570 570 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,054 —

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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.