Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 8, 2023

191 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 191 169 170
Feeder cattle 124 111 85
Slaughter cattle 57 48 85
Replacement cattle 10 10 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, breaker and boning cows sharply higher overall, with lean cows and slaughter bulls mostly steady. No comparisons available for feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts, however, a higher undertone was noted.

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
408 408 3 242.50 $242.50 $989 +15.00
540 540 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,161 -3.00
760 value added 760 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,284 —
825 825 1 162.00 $162.00 $1,336 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 220.00 $220.00 $990 +21.52
560 560 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,148 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 210.00 $210.00 $662 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–340 333 2 215.00 $215.00 $716 +10.00
390 390 3 210.00 $210.00 $819 +34.00
425–445 437 3 210.00–212.00 $210.99 $922 -6.01
455–490 473 2 194.00 $194.00 $918 +22.18
510–515 513 2 190.00–195.00 $192.51 $988 +21.83
555–564 562 5 192.50–195.00 $194.51 $1,093 —
607–610 608 4 178.00–185.00 $179.76 $1,093 +31.01
715–725 720 2 162.00–172.00 $167.03 $1,203 +32.03
770 770 1 154.00 $154.00 $1,186 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 195.00 $195.00 $556 —
300 300 1 195.00 $195.00 $585 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333 333 2 240.00 $240.00 $799 +5.00
360–365 362 3 250.00–260.00 $253.36 $917 —
400–440 422 3 230.00–242.50 $236.87 $1,000 +27.87
450 450 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,091 +8.93
455 455 1 198.00 $198.00 $901 -35.57
487 thin fleshed 487 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,047 —
510 fancy 510 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,326 —
530 530 1 187.50 $187.50 $994 -9.01
505–545 531 4 205.00–215.00 $209.92 $1,115 +13.41
590–593 592 5 202.50–206.00 $205.30 $1,215 +8.30
630 630 2 172.50–180.00 $176.25 $1,110 -0.74
670 670 2 170.00 $170.00 $1,139 —
795 795 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,192 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–335 325 2 155.00–172.50 $163.48 $531 —
350 350 1 162.50 $162.50 $569 —
410–420 415 2 205.00 $205.00 $851 +5.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 237.50 $237.50 $855 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130–1185 1158 80-85% 3 110.00–115.00 $113.29 $1,312 —
1120–1245 1183 80-85% 2 114.00–118.00 $115.89 $1,371 —
1160–1230 1195 80-85% 2 84.50–86.00 $85.23 $1,018 —
1045–1410 1211 80-85% 13 92.00–104.50 $97.48 $1,180 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1600 1434 75-80% 7 92.00–104.00 $99.92 $1,433 —
1435 1435 75-80% 1 115.00 $115.00 $1,650 —
1260–1825 1543 75-80% 2 83.00–88.50 $86.25 $1,331 -23.75
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1160 1080 85-90% 2 67.00–69.00 $67.93 $734 —
920–1425 1149 85-90% 5 72.50–84.00 $78.57 $903 +13.57
1130–1215 1173 85-90% 2 86.50–89.50 $88.05 $1,033 +9.49

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–2130 1718 6 119.00–127.00 $121.88 $2,094 —
1785 1785 1 102.00 $102.00 $1,821 -21.59

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Bred Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 975.00 $975.00

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Bred Heifers

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 625.00–750.00 $670.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 650.00 $650.00

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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.