Cattle Market Pulse

Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale Market Report

Athens, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock (Special) · usually sells Thursdays

Sale of Thursday, July 16, 2026

969 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (14)

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $372.25/cwt ≈ $2,289/hd at 615 lb · 157 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $348.53/cwt -9.47 vs last sale · ≈ $2,241/hd at 643 lb · 109 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $393.00/cwt ≈ $2,551/hd at 649 lb · 79 head
Athens, TN 6-weight heifers cleared at $372/cwt, running $3/cwt above the TN average ($369), though $15/cwt under Dickson, TN ($387). The class is tracking the recent state trend with steady demand across the region. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 969 650 851
Feeder cattle 969 650 851

All cattle on vaccination program and weaned minimum of 60 days.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 515.00 $515.00 $1,906
450–458 453 32 470.00–471.00 $470.68 $2,132 -36.87
524 524 22 431.00 $431.00 $2,258
581 581 51 416.00 $416.00 $2,417 -27.46
757–758 757 56 331.50–343.00 $340.53 $2,578
876 876 55 316.00 $316.00 $2,768 -32.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
649 649 79 393.00 $393.00 $2,551
671 671 18 389.00 $389.00 $2,610
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363–375 365 5 465.00–485.00 $480.89 $1,755
400 400 1 460.00 $460.00 $1,840 -10.00
452 452 3 435.00 $435.00 $1,966 -68.00
549 549 6 368.00 $368.00 $2,020
556 556 31 391.00 $391.00 $2,174
655–673 659 25 355.00–366.50 $363.68 $2,397 -24.32
Medium and Large 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
621 621 21 327.00 $327.00 $2,031

↑ Back to top

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
601–629 615 157 372.25 $372.25 $2,289
710 710 69 338.50 $338.50 $2,403
756 756 12 334.50 $334.50 $2,529
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 1 520.00 $520.00 $1,326
393 393 2 465.00 $465.00 $1,827 -47.50
457 457 14 430.00 $430.00 $1,965 -26.50
527 527 29 399.50 $399.50 $2,105 -20.50
576 576 47 378.00 $378.00 $2,177 -17.00
642–643 643 109 345.00–350.00 $348.53 $2,241 -9.47
838 838 33 292.00 $292.00 $2,447
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 425.00 $425.00 $1,339
365 365 3 450.00 $450.00 $1,642 +12.50
450 450 4 425.00 $425.00 $1,912
539 539 17 352.00 $352.00 $1,897 -3.00
557 557 16 374.00 $374.00 $2,083
640–649 645 11 320.00–335.00 $326.77 $2,108 -4.73

↑ Back to top

high 376.00 low 315.00 Aug 2025 May 2026

750–799 lb Medium and Large 1 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Jun 18, 2026)