Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 22, 2023

216 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 216 232 206
Feeder cattle 143 170 106
Slaughter cattle 69 56 81
Replacement cattle 4 6 19

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, boning and lean cows 2.00 to 3.00 higher overall, with breaker cows 2.00 lower, and no comparisons available for slaughter bulls and 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
370 370 1 235.00 $235.00 $870 —
485 485 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,091 +9.92
580 580 1 208.00 $208.00 $1,206 -10.47
605 605 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,392 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 200.00 $200.00 $880 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 322 3 190.00–218.00 $207.99 $670 —
405–435 416 6 185.00–200.00 $197.39 $821 -14.40
450–495 466 7 182.00–200.00 $190.40 $887 +7.13
505–525 512 3 197.00–208.00 $203.36 $1,041 +19.93
550–575 562 7 169.00–185.00 $175.75 $988 -10.23
610–638 628 4 160.00–173.00 $169.64 $1,065 +8.64
985 985 1 120.00 $120.00 $1,182 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 180.00 $180.00 $468 —
375 375 3 170.00–180.00 $173.33 $650 +13.33

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–370 fancy 363 2 250.00–260.00 $254.90 $925 —
350–395 370 3 225.00–237.50 $229.45 $849 -25.55
405–440 fancy 423 2 250.00–252.50 $251.20 $1,063 —
410–445 429 7 210.00–220.00 $217.66 $934 -4.46
455–495 473 6 210.00–225.00 $218.10 $1,032 +23.10
515–535 523 3 185.00–200.00 $190.79 $998 -9.21
535 fancy 535 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,118 —
555 555 3 193.00 $193.00 $1,071 -7.30
605–645 631 4 180.00–199.00 $188.51 $1,189 -8.96
655 655 1 189.00 $189.00 $1,238 +9.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 200.00 $200.00 $480 —
385 385 1 220.00 $220.00 $847 +47.50

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1515 1255 75-80% 3 104.00–108.00 $106.30 $1,334 —
1255–1825 1551 75-80% 17 90.00–100.50 $94.46 $1,465 —
1265–1925 1570 75-80% 4 85.00–88.50 $87.06 $1,367 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1110 1037 80-85% 3 79.00–83.50 $80.83 $838 —
1200 1200 80-85% 1 102.50 $102.50 $1,230 —
1015–1525 1236 80-85% 8 89.50–98.50 $94.69 $1,170 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
845–1125 982 85-90% 6 77.00–82.00 $79.88 $784 —
1095 1095 85-90% 1 72.50 $72.50 $794 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000 1000 1 104.50 $104.50 $1,045 —
1165–1470 1318 2 118.00–123.00 $120.21 $1,584 +5.82
1390 1390 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,487 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,075.00 $1,075.00 —

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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.