Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 2, 2026 Corrected report

154 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $358.00/cwt -14.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,622/hd at 453 lb · 14 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $379.00/cwt -13.00 vs last sale · ≈ $2,172/hd at 573 lb · 11 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $369.00/cwt -1.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,815/hd at 492 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 154 333 42
Feeder cattle 136 308 29
Slaughter cattle 17 15 13
Replacement cattle 1 10 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter Cattle 5.00 To 10.00 Lower Feeder Cattle 7.00 To 13.00 Lower Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light Quality Average To Attractive Head Calves 550.00

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
493–497 496 8 385.00–397.00 $392.52 $1,947 +1.52
505 505 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,818 —
573 573 11 379.00 $379.00 $2,172 -13.00
625 625 2 325.00 $325.00 $2,031 -31.50
669 669 8 334.00 $334.00 $2,234 -7.00
1040 1040 1 245.00 $245.00 $2,548 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 372.00 $372.00 $1,841 —
558–570 560 5 327.00–350.00 $345.32 $1,934 -19.68
645 645 2 290.00 $290.00 $1,870 -40.00
910 910 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,820 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 350.00 $350.00 $770 ±0.00
252 252 2 375.00 $375.00 $945 —
330 330 2 382.00 $382.00 $1,261 -20.46
350 350 3 380.00 $380.00 $1,330 —
445 445 1 365.00 $365.00 $1,624 -43.93
453 453 14 358.00 $358.00 $1,622 —
540 540 1 387.00 $387.00 $2,090 +27.50
550 550 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,705 -41.12
625–644 641 6 290.00–291.00 $290.84 $1,864 -40.16
660 660 1 272.00 $272.00 $1,795 +0.52
700 700 2 270.00 $270.00 $1,890 —
955 955 1 227.00 $227.00 $2,168 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–370 368 4 315.00–347.00 $339.16 $1,248 —
420–430 425 2 300.00–335.00 $317.71 $1,350 -32.29
490–495 491 4 320.00–329.00 $322.24 $1,582 -23.80
514–530 516 10 308.00–355.00 $350.17 $1,807 —
550–585 568 2 290.00–299.00 $294.36 $1,672 -22.35
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,328 —
545 545 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,553 —
570 570 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,624 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 545.00 $545.00 $1,090 —
285 285 1 440.00 $440.00 $1,254 -17.53
340 340 1 450.00 $450.00 $1,530 —
370 370 1 390.00 $390.00 $1,443 -74.88
400 400 6 402.00 $402.00 $1,608 +8.58
492 492 10 369.00 $369.00 $1,815 -1.00
550 550 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,622 -60.00
615 615 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,722 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430–440 437 6 355.00–385.00 $364.85 $1,594 +29.85
560 560 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,400 -78.44

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1115 1060 80-85% 3 123.00–134.00 $129.82 $1,376 -0.18
1055–1295 1210 80-85% 4 145.00–151.00 $149.42 $1,808 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1440 1268 75-80% 2 145.00–150.00 $147.84 $1,875 —
1365–1700 1478 75-80% 4 156.00–164.00 $160.07 $2,366 -5.84

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1355–1725 1573 3 180.00–188.00 $182.30 $2,868 -30.70
1750 1750 1 170.00 $170.00 $2,975 —

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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
955 955 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,100.00 $2,100.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,292 —
525–530 528 2 285.00–300.00 $292.46 $1,544 —

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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.