Cattle Market Pulse

Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale Market Report

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

Sale of Thursday, August 20, 2026

1,238 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,238 969 1,647
Feeder cattle 1,238 969 1,647

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
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 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

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 —

↑ Back to top

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.