Name: North Wilkesboro Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-09-23
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-09-23

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Slaughter Cattle 3.00 To 4.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 18.00 To 27.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Heavy Quality Attractive

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $371.14/cwt on 61 head, up $47.92 from the prior sale (only 14 head in that comparison). That ranks 11 of 27 comparable sales and sits −8.57 against this barn's trailing median of $379.72.

Average price

$371.14

▲ 47.92 vs prior sale

61 head · 532 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,976

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$117

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 2

$40.12/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+38.61

vs NC average

+15.04 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	531	373.12	1,981	58
Medium and Large 2	560	333.00	1,865	3thin

One grade step is worth $40.12/cwt here — about $117 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

27 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $458.97, low $319.53, median $379.72 across 27 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 sale61 hd

371.14

—

NC average9 barns · 257 hd

332.54

+38.61

National average179 barns · 11,869 hd

356.10

+15.04

This barn, trailing median27 sales

379.72

−8.57

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
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	778	146.97	1,144	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,670	145.33	2,427	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,131	143.25	1,621	4thin

Every lot, as filed

64 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
Steers	Medium 2	350–400	390	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,073	1
Steers	Medium 2	600–650	618	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,854	2
Bulls	Medium 2	550–600	585	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,463	1
Bulls	Medium 2	500–550	530	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,802	1
Bulls	Medium 2	300–350	325	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,008	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,120	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,344	2
Dairy Steers	Large 3	600–650	630	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,670	1
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	400–450	440	227.00/cwt	227.00–227.00	999	1
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	500–550	510	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,122	1
Dairy Steers	Large 3	400–450	420	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,428	1
Dairy Heifers	Large 3Full	350–400	355	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	710	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,360	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	1,958	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,850	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,775	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,625	144.16/cwt	140.00–148.00	2,343	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	800	170.46/cwt	169.00–172.00	1,364	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	735	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	735	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	925	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	1,748	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	350	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,400	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	495	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,782	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	526	389.22/cwt	377.00–401.00	2,047	17
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,984	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	555	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,610	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	440	370.50/cwt	352.00–385.00	1,630	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	510	459.00/cwt	459.00–459.00	2,341	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	622	340.74/cwt	336.00–345.00	2,119	70
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	415	427.76/cwt	422.00–455.00	1,775	17
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	650	306.00/cwt	306.00–306.00	1,989	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	865	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,903	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	450	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,305	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	325	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	1,739	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	487.00/cwt	487.00–487.00	1,972	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	367.00/cwt	367.00–367.00	1,762	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	500	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	1,810	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	348	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,601	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	425	430.51/cwt	420.00–439.00	1,830	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	608	369.49/cwt	368.00–372.00	2,246	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	589	359.48/cwt	350.00–366.00	2,117	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	710	287.00/cwt	287.00–287.00	2,038	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	481	396.95/cwt	395.00–397.00	1,909	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	515	489.00/cwt	489.00–489.00	2,518	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	530	373.82/cwt	350.00–388.00	1,981	56
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	677	315.03/cwt	310.00–318.00	2,133	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	360	498.01/cwt	497.00–499.00	1,793	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	915	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,471	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	353.44/cwt	347.00–360.00	1,979	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	491	418.54/cwt	416.00–427.00	2,055	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	366	417.56/cwt	412.00–430.00	1,528	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	975	222.00/cwt	222.00–222.00	2,165	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	553	352.07/cwt	337.00–367.00	1,947	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	429	399.55/cwt	392.00–418.00	1,714	22
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	365	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,478	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	618	339.72/cwt	330.00–350.00	2,099	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	267	528.25/cwt	525.00–535.00	1,410	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	810	277.00/cwt	277.00–277.00	2,244	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	706	328.00/cwt	328.00–328.00	2,316	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	265	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,073	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	681	346.48/cwt	337.00–349.00	2,360	7
Steers	Medium 2	450–500	458	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,351	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	405	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,458	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	580	324.50/cwt	320.00–329.00	1,882	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	520	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,820	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	350	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,190	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	255	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	905	1
Steers	Medium 2	300–350	340	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,088	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 Sep 23, 2026

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 338Last week 131Year ago 129

Slaughter CattleReceipts 12Last week 23Year ago 19

Slaughter Cattle 3.00 To 4.00 Higher Feeder Cattle 18.00 To 27.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Heavy Quality Attractive

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	340	320.00	320.00
1	350–400	390	275.00	275.00
3	450–500	458	295.00	295.00
2	600–650	618	300.00	300.00
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	350–400	350	400.00	400.00
17	400–450	415	422.00–455.00	427.76
1	450–500	495	360.00	360.00
17	500–550	526	377.00–401.00	389.22
1	550–600	575	345.00	345.00
2	600–650	618	330.00–350.00	339.72
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	250–300	265	405.00	405.00
1	300–350	325	535.00	535.00
2	350–400	360	497.00–499.00	498.01
4	400–450	405	487.00	487.00
15	450–500	491	416.00–427.00	418.54
1	500–550	515	489.00	489.00
7	550–600	589	350.00–366.00	359.48
8	600–650	608	368.00–372.00	369.49
7	650–700	681	337.00–349.00	346.48
Bulls — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	325	310.00	310.00
1	500–550	530	340.00	340.00
1	550–600	585	250.00	250.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	405	360.00	360.00
1	500–550	500	362.00	362.00
1	550–600	555	290.00	290.00
1	650–700	650	306.00	306.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	250–300	267	525.00–535.00	528.25
1	350–400	365	405.00	405.00
4	400–450	425	420.00–439.00	430.51
1	500–550	510	459.00	459.00
2	550–600	553	337.00–367.00	352.07
4	650–700	677	310.00–318.00	315.03
1	700–750	710	287.00	287.00
1	800–850	810	277.00	277.00
1	950–1000	975	222.00	222.00
Dairy Steers — Large 3$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	420	340.00	340.00
1	600–650	630	265.00	265.00
Dairy Heifers — Large 3$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	440	227.00	227.00
1	500–550	510	220.00	220.00
Dairy Heifers — Large 3 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
1	350–400	355	200.00	200.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	250–300	255	355.00	355.00
1	350–400	350	340.00	340.00
3	400–450	440	352.00–385.00	370.50
1	450–500	480	367.00	367.00
1	500–550	520	350.00	350.00
2	550–600	580	320.00–329.00	324.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	300–350	348	460.00	460.00
7	350–400	366	412.00–430.00	417.56
22	400–450	429	392.00–418.00	399.55
35	450–500	481	395.00–397.00	396.95
56	500–550	530	350.00–388.00	373.82
2	550–600	560	347.00–360.00	353.44
70	600–650	622	336.00–345.00	340.74
7	700–750	706	328.00	328.00
1	850–900	865	220.00	220.00
1	900–950	915	270.00	270.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 2 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
1	450–500	450	290.00	290.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,120	120.00	120.00
1	—	1,360	144.00	144.00
1	—	925	189.00	189.00
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,850	150.00	150.00
4	—	1,625	140.00–148.00	144.16
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	800	169.00–172.00	170.46
1	—	735	100.00	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