Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 14, 2022

177 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 177 99 277
Feeder cattle 118 60 189
Slaughter cattle 50 39 79
Replacement cattle 9 — 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 1.00 higher, with slaughter bulls mostly steady. No comparisons available for feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 204.00 $204.00 $785 —
455 455 1 164.00 $164.00 $746 +5.00
505–520 509 6 150.00–159.00 $156.96 $799 +15.96
560 560 1 159.00 $159.00 $890 —
610–640 620 3 163.00–166.00 $164.97 $1,023 +20.97
918 918 2 127.00 $127.00 $1,166 —
960 960 1 126.00 $126.00 $1,210 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–480 470 2 150.00–153.00 $151.53 $712 —
595 595 1 149.00 $149.00 $887 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353 353 2 153.00 $153.00 $540 +19.67
405 405 1 125.00 $125.00 $506 —
450–495 474 5 127.00–132.00 $129.82 $615 -10.18
505 505 1 130.00 $130.00 $656 —
510 value added 510 1 140.00 $140.00 $714 —
530 530 1 121.00 $121.00 $641 -9.00
556 556 5 136.00 $136.00 $756 +6.49
615–625 622 3 129.00–130.00 $129.66 $806 +2.66
618–635 value added 624 3 132.00–139.00 $136.62 $853 —
700 700 1 127.00 $127.00 $889 —
1010 1010 1 104.00 $104.00 $1,050 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 122.50 $122.50 $435 —
405 405 1 112.50 $112.50 $456 -8.50
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 1 116.00 $116.00 $568 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 190.00 $190.00 $684 +30.00
445 445 2 164.00 $164.00 $730 +21.00
480 480 1 140.00 $140.00 $672 -4.00
525–545 535 2 140.00–149.00 $144.42 $773 +7.71
650–675 663 2 126.00–129.00 $127.47 $845 —
743 743 2 121.00 $121.00 $899 —
1075 1075 1 97.00 $97.00 $1,043 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1505 1216 80-85% 10 63.50–73.50 $69.42 $844 +3.66
1200–1420 1326 80-85% 4 75.00–77.00 $76.05 $1,008 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1370 1140 85-90% 11 57.00–68.00 $62.65 $714 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1605 1439 75-80% 7 64.00–70.00 $67.91 $977 —
1550 1550 75-80% 1 60.00 $60.00 $930 -4.83

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1685–1880 1783 2 108.00 $108.00 $1,926 —
2080–2150 2115 2 97.00–104.00 $100.44 $2,124 —
2290 2290 1 92.50 $92.50 $2,118 —

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Bred Cows

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) 2 875.00–1,050.00 $962.50
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 975.00 $975.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 720.00 $720.00

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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.