Cattle Market Pulse

Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale Market Report

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

Sale of Thursday, August 20, 2026

1,238 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (15)

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $326.26/cwt ≈ $2,506/hd at 768 lb · 134 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $318.72/cwt ≈ $2,789/hd at 875 lb · 119 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $337.00/cwt ≈ $2,231/hd at 662 lb · 79 head
Athens, TN 6-weight heifers brought $331/cwt. Tennessee 6-weight heifers are down $29 from the early July peak of $354/cwt. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,238 969 1,647
Feeder cattle 1,238 969 1,647

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

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
648 648 79 363.00 $363.00 $2,352 -30.00
657 657 27 367.00 $367.00 $2,411 -22.00
751–785 768 134 325.00–327.50 $326.26 $2,506
864–887 875 119 311.50–326.00 $318.72 $2,789
1016 1016 20 283.00 $283.00 $2,875
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 500.00 $500.00 $1,300
373 373 4 465.00 $465.00 $1,734 -50.00
448 448 32 415.00 $415.00 $1,859
460–469 468 29 400.00–415.00 $413.98 $1,937 -56.70
529–544 537 55 375.00–407.00 $390.49 $2,097 -40.51
563–578 576 45 374.00–375.00 $374.85 $2,159 -41.15
668–672 671 67 332.00–358.00 $335.86 $2,254
785–798 797 42 325.00–327.00 $325.19 $2,592
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 415.00 $415.00 $1,370
360–390 370 3 335.00–425.00 $393.38 $1,456 -87.51
400 400 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,400 -110.00
490 490 2 372.50 $372.50 $1,825
546 546 5 343.00 $343.00 $1,873 -25.00
913 913 8 300.00 $300.00 $2,739
1133 1133 47 262.50 $262.50 $2,974
Medium and Large 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
662 662 41 325.50 $325.50 $2,155

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
643 643 77 325.75 $325.75 $2,095 -46.50
662 662 79 337.00 $337.00 $2,231
797 797 61 311.00 $311.00 $2,479
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
298 298 3 422.50 $422.50 $1,259
368 368 4 421.00 $421.00 $1,549 -44.00
457 457 23 401.00 $401.00 $1,833 -29.00
505–524 512 76 370.00–403.00 $391.00 $2,002 -8.50
576 576 37 350.00 $350.00 $2,016 -28.00
970 970 2 275.00 $275.00 $2,668
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
368 368 6 360.00 $360.00 $1,325 -90.00
469 469 17 384.00 $384.00 $1,801 -41.00
540–544 542 36 329.00–346.00 $338.48 $1,835 -13.52
723 723 10 308.00 $308.00 $2,227
973 973 2 250.00 $250.00 $2,432

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high 376.00 low 315.00 Sep 2025 Aug 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 (Jul 16, 2026)