Name: North Wilkesboro Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2025-12-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-12-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Slaughter Cattle Mostly Steady Feeder Cattle 2.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light Quality Attractive Baby Calve 675.00

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $348.08/cwt on 13 head. That ranks 1 of 23 comparable sales and sits −37.49 against this barn's trailing median of $385.57.

Average price

$348.08

13 head · 528 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,837

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$604

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 2

$115.06/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+22.67

vs NC average

−41.83 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	525	372.56	1,956	9thin
Medium 1	543	328.50	1,782	2thin
Medium 2	525	257.50	1,352	2thin

One grade step is worth $115.06/cwt here — about $604 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

23 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $458.97, low $348.08, median $385.57 across 23 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale13 hd

348.08

—

NC average9 barns · 257 hd

325.41

+22.67

National average175 barns · 15,310 hd

389.91

−41.83

This barn, trailing median23 sales

385.57

−37.49

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	High	1,863	153.50	2,859	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,496	140.38	2,100	8thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	999	124.83	1,246	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	695	102.00	709	1thin

Every lot, as filed

29 lots · USDA AMS · Wilkes Livestock Exchange - North Wilkesboro, NC

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Medium 2	250–300	255	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	816	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,080	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	972	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	695	102.00/cwt	102.00–102.00	709	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,529	144.57/cwt	140.00–150.00	2,210	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,440	133.40/cwt	130.00–135.00	1,921	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	965	129.90/cwt	125.00–135.00	1,254	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,038	139.60/cwt	137.00–142.00	1,449	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	905	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,086	1
Bulls	—	—	1,845	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	3,081	1
Bulls	—	—	1,880	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	2,632	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	600	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,070	1
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	585	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,872	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	505	377.00/cwt	377.00–377.00	1,904	5
Bulls	Medium 1	950–1000	985	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,576	1
Bulls	Medium 1	550–600	555	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	1,399	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	555	399.00/cwt	399.00–399.00	2,214	1
Heifers	Medium 2	500–550	525	257.50/cwt	245.00–270.00	1,352	2
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	500	337.00/cwt	337.00–337.00	1,685	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	358.40/cwt	345.00–365.00	1,487	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	392.00/cwt	392.00–392.00	1,470	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	310	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,147	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	550	367.00/cwt	367.00–367.00	2,019	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	368	346.61/cwt	340.00–350.00	1,276	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	640	359.00/cwt	359.00–359.00	2,298	2
Bulls	Medium 1	750–800	750	232.00/cwt	232.00–232.00	1,740	1
Bulls	Medium 1	350–400	385	332.00/cwt	332.00–332.00	1,278	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	230	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	978	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	451	390.01/cwt	385.00–395.00	1,759	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,634	2

How this sale compares

North Carolina weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every North Carolina auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

North Carolina feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Wilkes Livestock Exchange - North Wilkesboro, NC

Wed Dec 17, 2025

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Raleigh, NC (RA-LS)

Feeder CattleReceipts 40Last week 16Year ago 58

Slaughter CattleReceipts 17Last week 21Year ago 21

Slaughter Cattle Mostly Steady Feeder Cattle 2.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light Quality Attractive Baby Calve 675.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	250–300	255	320.00	320.00
2	500–550	525	245.00–270.00	257.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	310	370.00	370.00
1	350–400	375	392.00	392.00
6	400–450	415	345.00–365.00	358.40
5	500–550	505	377.00	377.00
4	550–600	550	367.00	367.00
1	600–650	600	345.00	345.00
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	500–550	500	337.00	337.00
1	550–600	585	320.00	320.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	350–400	368	340.00–350.00	346.61
Bulls — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	350–400	385	332.00	332.00
1	550–600	555	252.00	252.00
1	750–800	750	232.00	232.00
1	950–1000	985	160.00	160.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	200–250	230	425.00	425.00
2	400–450	430	380.00	380.00
4	450–500	451	385.00–395.00	390.01
1	550–600	555	399.00	399.00
2	600–650	640	359.00	359.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,080	90.00	90.00
2	—	965	125.00–135.00	129.90
2	—	1,038	137.00–142.00	139.60
1	—	905	120.00	120.00
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	695	102.00	102.00
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,529	140.00–150.00	144.57
3	—	1,440	130.00–135.00	133.40
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,845	167.00	167.00
1	—	1,880	140.00	140.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

More

North Wilkesboro Livestock Auction