Cattle Market Pulse

Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale Market Report

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

Sale of Thursday, February 19, 2026

1,523 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale report →

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $378.07/cwt +22.67 vs last sale · ≈ $2,378/hd at 629 lb · 160 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $407.50/cwt +19.50 vs last sale · ≈ $2,453/hd at 602 lb · 88 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $348.38/cwt ≈ $2,745/hd at 788 lb · 87 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,523 1,485 0
Feeder cattle 1,523 1,485 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

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

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–395 378 17 570.00–601.00 $595.91 $2,253 +43.41
479–483 480 8 477.50–485.00 $483.11 $2,319 -12.89
525 525 51 457.50 $457.50 $2,402 +22.96
555–574 569 73 448.00–460.50 $456.99 $2,600 +35.99
652 652 13 408.00 $408.00 $2,660 +51.34
770–798 788 87 347.25–350.50 $348.38 $2,745 —
958 958 57 322.00 $322.00 $3,085 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 810.00 $810.00 $2,146 —
457–460 459 37 520.00–545.00 $534.90 $2,455 —
649 649 35 418.00 $418.00 $2,713 —
662 662 78 422.00 $422.00 $2,794 +28.00
766 766 68 376.00 $376.00 $2,880 +16.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–475 473 6 420.00–460.00 $426.55 $2,018 -25.45
545 545 2 437.50 $437.50 $2,384 —
597 597 87 436.00 $436.00 $2,603 +92.08
611 611 32 406.00 $406.00 $2,481 —
745 745 23 342.00 $342.00 $2,548 +39.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376–378 377 10 510.00 $510.00 $1,923 -2.50
487–490 487 23 445.00 $445.00 $2,167 -29.84
525–539 533 61 393.00–416.00 $403.03 $2,148 +4.09
550 550 12 417.00 $417.00 $2,294 +38.42
615–642 629 160 370.00–386.50 $378.07 $2,378 +22.67
660 660 79 352.50 $352.50 $2,326 +7.17
784 784 58 331.00 $331.00 $2,595 +4.90
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
457 457 44 495.00 $495.00 $2,262 —
602 602 88 407.50 $407.50 $2,453 +19.50
673 673 78 379.00 $379.00 $2,551 ±0.00
709 709 74 356.50 $356.50 $2,528 —
834–839 837 22 339.00–341.00 $340.00 $2,846 +21.50
875 875 4 344.00 $344.00 $3,010 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 373 2 425.00 $425.00 $1,585 -52.50
439 439 15 447.50 $447.50 $1,965 —
543 543 18 346.00 $346.00 $1,879 —
635 635 3 325.00 $325.00 $2,064 —
668 668 23 333.00 $333.00 $2,224 —

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Reading this report

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.