Name: North Wilkesboro Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-01-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-21

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Slaughter Cattle 3.00 To 11.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 12.00 To 20.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality Attractive 1 Sheep Baby Calve 35.00 Head calve 625.00

Weight class

Bulls · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb bulls averaged $374.17/cwt on 6 head, down $34.02 from the prior sale (only 16 head in that comparison). That ranks 2 of 13 comparable sales and sits −32.85 against this barn's trailing median of $407.02.

Average price

$374.17

▼ 34.02 vs prior sale

6 head · 553 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,070

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$414

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 1

$81.67/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+7.56

vs NC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	533	406.67	2,169	3thin
Medium and Large 2	590	350.00	2,065	2thin
Medium 1	540	325.00	1,755	1thin

One grade step is worth $81.67/cwt here — about $414 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

13 sales

Bulls 500–600 lb: high $478.59, low $365.31, median $407.02 across 13 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 sale6 hd

374.17

—

NC average9 barns · 208 hd

366.61

+7.56

This barn, trailing median13 sales

407.02

−32.85

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	1,620	200.06	3,241	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,493	161.29	2,407	6thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,143	138.32	1,582	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	793	99.50	789	2thin

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	900	$2,100	1thin

Every lot, as filed

43 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
Bulls	—	—	1,620	200.06/cwt	196.00–204.00	3,241	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,003	137.50/cwt	128.00–145.00	1,379	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,248	158.76/cwt	156.00–164.00	1,981	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,123	118.38/cwt	108.00–124.00	1,329	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,491	163.35/cwt	155.00–169.00	2,436	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,500	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	2,265	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,150	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	382.00/cwt	382.00–382.00	1,910	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	550	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	2,173	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	900	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	320	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,440	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	245	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	1,213	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	480	369.95/cwt	365.00–375.00	1,776	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	440	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,024	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	626	384.98/cwt	360.00–397.00	2,410	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	600	339.00/cwt	339.00–339.00	2,034	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	365	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	1,898	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	472	440.32/cwt	437.00–442.00	2,078	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	758	326.17/cwt	300.00–335.00	2,472	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	265	555.00/cwt	555.00–555.00	1,471	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	2,063	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	855	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,437	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	810	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,309	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	429	447.74/cwt	447.00–450.00	1,921	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	312	541.42/cwt	535.00–545.00	1,689	3
Bulls	Medium 1	450–500	485	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,843	1
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	565	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,091	1
Bulls	Medium 1Full	650–700	650	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,950	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	590	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,065	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	230	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,035	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	230	575.00/cwt	575.00–575.00	1,323	1
Heifers	Medium 2	700–750	740	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,591	1
Bulls	Medium 1	500–550	540	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,755	1
Heifers	Medium 1Full	600–650	630	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,449	1
Heifers	Medium 1	400–450	405	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,661	1
Bulls	Medium 1	350–400	378	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	1,947	3
Heifers	Medium 1	350–400	363	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,670	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	845	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,014	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	740	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	585	1
Bulls	Medium 2	450–500	460	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,035	2
Dairy Steers	Medium 2	350–400	395	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,580	1
Heifers	Medium 2	300–350	340	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	901	1
Heifers	Medium 2	550–600	550	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,650	1

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 Jan 21, 2026

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 66Last week 101Year ago 31

Slaughter CattleReceipts 25Last week 13Year ago 4

Replacement CattleReceipts 1Last week 1Year ago 0

Slaughter Cattle 3.00 To 11.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 12.00 To 20.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate Quality Attractive 1 Sheep Baby Calve 35.00 Head calve 625.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,620	196.00–204.00	200.06
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,003	128.00–145.00	137.50
5	—	1,248	156.00–164.00	158.76
5	—	1,123	108.00–124.00	118.38
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,491	155.00–169.00	163.35
1	—	1,500	151.00	151.00
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	845	120.00	120.00
1	—	740	79.00	79.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	200–250	230	575.00	575.00
1	250–300	265	555.00	555.00
3	300–350	312	535.00–545.00	541.42
1	350–400	375	550.00	550.00
3	400–450	440	460.00	460.00
3	450–500	472	437.00–442.00	440.32
1	500–550	500	430.00	430.00
2	550–600	550	395.00	395.00
11	600–650	626	360.00–397.00	384.98
4	750–800	758	300.00–335.00	326.17
1	850–900	855	285.00	285.00
Bulls — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	350–400	378	515.00	515.00
1	450–500	485	380.00	380.00
1	500–550	540	325.00	325.00
Bulls — Medium 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
1	650–700	650	300.00	300.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	550–600	590	350.00	350.00
Bulls — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	450–500	460	225.00	225.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	200–250	245	495.00	495.00
1	300–350	320	450.00	450.00
1	350–400	365	520.00	520.00
4	400–450	429	447.00–450.00	447.74
2	450–500	480	365.00–375.00	369.95
1	500–550	500	382.00	382.00
2	600–650	600	339.00	339.00
1	800–850	810	285.00	285.00
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4	350–400	363	460.00	460.00
1	400–450	405	410.00	410.00
1	550–600	565	370.00	370.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	200–250	230	450.00	450.00
Heifers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	340	265.00	265.00
1	550–600	550	300.00	300.00
1	700–750	740	215.00	215.00
Heifers — Medium 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
1	600–650	630	230.00	230.00
Dairy Steers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	350–400	395	400.00	400.00

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	—	900	2,100.00	2,100.00

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

Reporter comment USDA

Bulls · summary 500–600 lb

What quality paid 500–600 lb

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

How it compared 500–600 lb

Slaughter cattle

Replacement cattle Per head

Every lot, as filed

How this sale compares

Wilkes Livestock Exchange - North Wilkesboro, NC

Slaughter Cattle

Feeder Cattle

Replacement Cattle