Cattle Market Pulse

Athens Regional Stockyard Preconditioned Sale Market Report

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

Sale of Thursday, September 17, 2026

883 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $402.74/cwt +12.25 vs last sale · ≈ $2,155/hd at 535 lb · 116 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $338.00/cwt -25.00 vs last sale · ≈ $2,190/hd at 648 lb · 73 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $315.00/cwt ≈ $2,463/hd at 782 lb · 65 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 883 1,238 1,367
Feeder cattle 883 1,238 1,367

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
368 368 4 425.00 $425.00 $1,564 -40.00
405–408 408 39 425.00–444.00 $443.52 $1,810 —
463–466 464 27 404.00–410.00 $408.66 $1,896 -5.32
528–536 535 116 385.50–406.50 $402.74 $2,155 +12.25
563–581 573 63 340.00–350.50 $347.14 $1,989 -27.71
653–664 660 35 317.50–322.50 $320.52 $2,115 -15.34
764–787 777 29 320.00 $320.00 $2,486 -5.19
953 953 28 291.75 $291.75 $2,780 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
648 648 73 338.00 $338.00 $2,190 -25.00
781 781 65 313.00 $313.00 $2,445 -13.26
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 3 385.00 $385.00 $1,309 -30.00
448 448 5 365.00 $365.00 $1,635 —
630 630 23 296.00 $296.00 $1,865 —

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
372–378 376 8 372.50–397.50 $388.22 $1,460 -32.78
461–476 464 33 357.00–360.00 $359.35 $1,667 -41.65
519 519 25 347.00 $347.00 $1,801 -44.00
554–571 561 35 330.00–330.50 $330.28 $1,853 -19.72
654 654 41 325.00 $325.00 $2,126 —
782 782 65 315.00 $315.00 $2,463 —
810 810 63 290.50 $290.50 $2,353 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
369 369 5 335.00 $335.00 $1,236 -25.00
467 467 13 345.00 $345.00 $1,611 -39.00
550 550 15 311.50 $311.50 $1,713 —
665 665 12 305.00 $305.00 $2,028 —
809 809 35 280.00 $280.00 $2,265 —

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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.