Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 18, 2023

211 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $150.84/cwt +6.91 vs last sale · ≈ $888/hd at 589 lb · 10 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 211 249 147
Feeder cattle 148 116 77
Slaughter cattle 54 120 48
Replacement cattle 9 13 22

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 2.00 to 4.00 lower overall with slaughter bulls holding steady. No comparisons available for feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts, but a higher undertone, increased buyer activity, and hiqher-quality offerings were noted.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 180.00 $180.00 $576
350 350 1 173.00 $173.00 $606
385 385 1 218.00 $218.00 $839
430 430 1 211.00 $211.00 $907 +16.09
510 510 2 170.00 $170.00 $867
800 800 1 139.00 $139.00 $1,112
890 890 1 138.00 $138.00 $1,228 +13.03

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 fancy 325 1 181.00 $181.00 $588
320–345 333 3 160.00–174.00 $164.83 $549 +34.83
335 335 1 149.00 $149.00 $499 +19.00
355–385 370 7 161.00–176.00 $169.36 $627
445 445 1 145.00 $145.00 $645 +0.61
483–495 value added 487 3 150.00–157.00 $152.37 $742
495 495 1 141.00 $141.00 $698 -0.62
505 505 1 130.00 $130.00 $656 -1.00
510 fancy 510 1 161.00 $161.00 $821
500–530 512 3 137.00–148.00 $140.94 $722 +9.94
550 550 1 144.00 $144.00 $792 +4.00
580 580 1 135.00 $135.00 $783 +17.00
640–645 643 2 136.00 $136.00 $874 +3.40
665 665 1 120.00 $120.00 $798 -5.00
685 685 1 128.00 $128.00 $877 +3.00
745 745 1 119.00 $119.00 $887
760 760 1 118.00 $118.00 $897
850 850 1 106.00 $106.00 $901
960 960 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,056
1000 1000 1 101.00 $101.00 $1,010
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 140.00 $140.00 $301
420–435 428 2 130.00–140.00 $134.91 $577 +19.82

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 272 3 200.00–220.00 $207.42 $564
325 325 1 195.00 $195.00 $634 -11.69
355–390 378 3 192.50–208.00 $199.07 $752 +29.07
430 430 1 200.00 $200.00 $860 +30.52
445 445 1 175.00 $175.00 $779
515–530 523 2 157.00–164.00 $160.55 $840 +5.12
585 585 1 130.00 $130.00 $760 -13.93
575–597 589 9 149.00–156.00 $153.16 $902 +9.23
620 620 1 134.00 $134.00 $831 -6.25
695 695 1 130.00 $130.00 $904 -11.79
700 700 1 115.00 $115.00 $805
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
433 433 5 175.00 $175.00 $758
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 162.50 $162.50 $358
350 350 1 163.00 $163.00 $570 +9.12
735 735 1 112.00 $112.00 $823

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1465 1335 75-80% 10 68.50–75.50 $72.33 $966
1480–1750 1615 75-80% 2 80.50–82.00 $81.31 $1,313 +5.75
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895 895 85-90% 1 77.00 $77.00 $689
1170–1180 1175 85-90% 2 55.00–57.50 $56.26 $661 -12.57
1060–1400 1194 85-90% 8 63.50–71.50 $68.09 $813 -0.74
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1410 1215 80-85% 6 67.50–75.00 $71.36 $867
1150–1320 1235 80-85% 2 64.50 $64.50 $797
1250–1435 1343 80-85% 2 83.50–87.50 $85.36 $1,146 +1.49

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1815 1478 6 98.00–105.00 $102.77 $1,519
1485–1880 1683 2 107.00–110.00 $108.68 $1,829

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050–1100 1075 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 880.00–930.00 $905.00
1300 1300 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950 950 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 625.00 $625.00

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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.