Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Wednesdays

Sale of Wednesday, July 22, 2026

160 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (238)

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $343.12/cwt -1.88 vs last sale · ≈ $1,806/hd at 526 lb · 11 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 160 182 200
Feeder cattle 109 131 130
Slaughter cattle 48 40 64
Replacement cattle 3 11 6

Compared to last week, slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher with no comparisons available for slaughter bulls or feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts, however, a lower undertone was noted for all classes of feeder cattle.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 value added 435 1 442.50 $442.50 $1,925
445 445 1 440.00 $440.00 $1,958
505 505 1 410.00 $410.00 $2,070
512–520 value added 514 4 397.50–410.00 $406.84 $2,091 -8.16
553 value added 553 3 397.50 $397.50 $2,198
580 580 1 395.00 $395.00 $2,291
600 value added 600 1 375.00 $375.00 $2,250
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,752

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 value added 395 2 425.00 $425.00 $1,679
420–445 437 3 380.00–402.50 $387.21 $1,692 -26.93
460–479 475 5 350.00–360.00 $358.06 $1,701 -41.03
475 475 1 345.00 $345.00 $1,639 -54.09
510–545 526 10 335.00–360.00 $346.43 $1,822 +1.43
530 530 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,643 -35.00
555 value added 555 2 367.50 $367.50 $2,040
565 565 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,752 -54.19
570–595 587 3 320.00–330.00 $323.38 $1,898 -40.81
603–625 612 6 315.00–325.00 $318.37 $1,948 +0.87
625 value added 625 1 332.50 $332.50 $2,078
653 value added 653 2 327.50 $327.50 $2,139
685 685 1 305.00 $305.00 $2,089 -30.00
795 795 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,266

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 432.50 $432.50 $1,795 -4.23
450–480 465 2 397.50–400.00 $398.79 $1,854 -21.21
539 539 6 355.00 $355.00 $1,913 -55.76
560–590 575 2 327.50–360.00 $343.33 $1,974 -26.67
575 575 1 315.00 $315.00 $1,811 -55.00
600–610 605 2 311.00–317.50 $314.22 $1,901 -29.39
675–690 683 2 297.50 $297.50 $2,032 -25.00
748 748 2 260.00 $260.00 $1,945 -26.49
780 780 1 260.00 $260.00 $2,028

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–1460 1063 85-90% 11 158.00–174.00 $164.38 $1,747
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1310 1201 80-85% 8 170.50–185.50 $178.39 $2,142
1185–1295 1252 80-85% 3 190.50–194.50 $192.97 $2,416
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415 1415 75-80% 1 161.00 $161.00 $2,278
1275–1875 1472 75-80% 6 165.00–185.50 $177.45 $2,612
1440–1620 1530 75-80% 2 192.00–193.50 $192.79 $2,950

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460 1460 1 237.00 $237.00 $3,460
1525 1525 1 194.00 $194.00 $2,958
1520–1995 1710 3 213.00–228.00 $219.65 $3,756

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,500.00 $2,500.00

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1550 1363 85-90% 2 162.00 $162.00 $2,208

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high 440.00 low 295.00 Aug 2025 Jul 2026

500–549 lb Medium and Large 1 heifers — 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 15, 2026)