Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 29, 2021

253 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest East Tennessee Livestock Center report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 253 277 399
Feeder cattle 63 189 138
Slaughter cattle 180 79 220
Replacement cattle 10 9 41

Market comments — USDA reporter

**No comparisons available due to no sale last week in observance of the Christmas holiday.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515 515 1 129.00 $129.00 $664 —
645 645 1 119.00 $119.00 $768 —
725 725 1 112.00 $112.00 $812 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510 510 1 144.00 $144.00 $734 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 138.00 $138.00 $414 +6.81
335 335 1 129.00 $129.00 $432 -2.19
357 value added 357 3 137.00 $137.00 $489 —
425 425 1 128.00 $128.00 $544 -0.46
450 value added 450 1 131.00 $131.00 $590 —
455–465 460 2 126.00–129.00 $127.52 $587 -1.48
515–535 523 4 120.00–122.00 $120.50 $630 -9.10
555–570 563 2 121.00 $121.00 $681 +1.00
605–620 613 2 119.00–120.00 $119.49 $732 +4.49
660–685 673 2 119.00–120.00 $119.49 $804 +15.49
740 740 1 114.00 $114.00 $844 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–435 425 2 119.00–123.00 $120.95 $514 +6.95

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 2 166.00 $166.00 $614 -11.92
425 425 1 162.00 $162.00 $688 +16.00
463 463 2 151.00 $151.00 $699 +15.67
515 value added 515 1 139.00 $139.00 $716 —
590 590 1 129.00 $129.00 $761 -2.54
605–625 615 2 110.00–120.00 $114.92 $707 +8.92
795 795 1 104.00 $104.00 $827 -6.00
795 795 1 100.00 $100.00 $795 -10.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 value added 410 1 140.00 $140.00 $574 —
450 value added 450 1 136.00 $136.00 $612 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1825 1440 75-80% 42 62.00–70.50 $65.82 $948 +4.03
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895–1065 978 85-90% 6 51.00–53.00 $51.99 $508 —
880–1395 1147 85-90% 32 55.50–63.50 $59.37 $681 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1530 1262 80-85% 25 62.00–71.50 $67.18 $848 +5.25
1195–1335 1266 80-85% 5 72.50–76.50 $74.11 $938 +12.18

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1150 1113 3 76.50–80.00 $78.88 $878 -0.67
1280–1760 1470 3 81.00–83.00 $82.09 $1,207 —
1170–1890 1499 11 86.00–97.00 $90.18 $1,352 —
1865–2005 1912 3 99.00–109.00 $102.43 $1,958 —

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Bred Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 875.00 $875.00

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Bred Heifers

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750–800 775 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 700.00–800.00 $750.00
800 800 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 675.00 $675.00

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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.