Cattle Market Pulse

Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale Market Report

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

Sale of Thursday, May 21, 2026

1,341 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $356.94/cwt -7.97 vs last sale · ≈ $2,399/hd at 672 lb · 152 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $364.75/cwt ≈ $2,987/hd at 819 lb · 121 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $409.00/cwt ≈ $2,556/hd at 625 lb · 80 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,341 1,513 0
Feeder cattle 1,341 1,513 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

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

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 24 536.00 $536.00 $2,519 —
523 523 29 490.00 $490.00 $2,563 -19.62
586 586 56 449.00 $449.00 $2,631 -33.00
649 649 78 421.00 $421.00 $2,732 —
650–652 651 34 398.00–404.00 $400.29 $2,606 -29.96
733 733 15 365.00 $365.00 $2,675 —
757–763 762 77 358.00–360.00 $358.26 $2,730 -0.87
819 819 121 364.75 $364.75 $2,987 —
925 925 46 325.00 $325.00 $3,006 —
1182 1182 3 270.00 $270.00 $3,191 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 2 590.00 $590.00 $2,272 -15.00
458–460 460 13 495.00–505.00 $503.47 $2,316 -35.24
545 545 12 430.00 $430.00 $2,344 —
553 553 13 440.00 $440.00 $2,433 -13.47
757 757 20 347.00 $347.00 $2,627 -7.48
844 844 7 340.50 $340.50 $2,874 —
898 898 48 327.25 $327.25 $2,939 -10.33
1078 1078 48 297.00 $297.00 $3,202 —
1195 1195 1 242.50 $242.50 $2,898 —
Medium and Large 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
644 644 49 350.00 $350.00 $2,254 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 2 560.00 $560.00 $1,988 -77.50
480 480 2 460.00 $460.00 $2,208 -25.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 565.00 $565.00 $2,006 -5.00
454–498 461 31 455.00–485.00 $480.81 $2,217 —
563–577 573 57 376.00–390.00 $386.14 $2,213 -21.36
662–682 672 152 351.50–362.50 $356.94 $2,399 -7.97
768 768 11 342.00 $342.00 $2,627 +2.00
881 881 7 320.00 $320.00 $2,819 —
940–947 942 11 271.00–275.00 $272.10 $2,563 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
523 523 33 434.00 $434.00 $2,270 —
625 625 80 409.00 $409.00 $2,556 —
699 699 73 369.50 $369.50 $2,583 -4.23
702 702 72 367.50 $367.50 $2,580 -2.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
761 761 65 327.50 $327.50 $2,492 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 2 430.00 $430.00 $1,570 —
565 565 8 351.00 $351.00 $1,983 -19.00

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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.