Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 12, 2023

301 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $192.48/cwt +2.48 vs last sale · ≈ $826/hd at 429 lb · 12 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $232.49/cwt -13.36 vs last sale · ≈ $983/hd at 423 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 301 254 227
Feeder cattle 203 213 124
Slaughter cattle 64 39 84
Replacement cattle 34 2 19

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows mostly steady overall with slaughter bulls 6.00 higher. No comparisons 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
410 410 1 240.00 $240.00 $984 +8.90
450–470 460 2 205.00–226.00 $215.27 $990 -17.14
635 635 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,397 +30.00
675 675 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,418 +12.97
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
765 765 1 177.00 $177.00 $1,354 —
840 840 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,016 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 2 200.00 $200.00 $560 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210 210 1 200.00 $200.00 $420 —
275 275 1 200.00 $200.00 $550 ±0.00
320–345 338 4 210.00–231.00 $220.09 $744 +32.55
375–380 fancy 378 2 216.00–219.00 $217.49 $822 -0.51
370–390 380 5 190.00–205.00 $194.54 $739 +2.35
405–445 429 12 180.00–207.50 $192.48 $826 +2.48
450–485 474 4 189.00–197.50 $193.42 $917 -4.38
490 fancy 490 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,054 —
500–513 508 4 186.00–200.00 $193.99 $985 -3.78
515 fancy 515 1 214.00 $214.00 $1,102 -1.00
550–570 562 3 185.00–197.00 $189.02 $1,062 +3.09
600 600 1 187.00 $187.00 $1,122 +23.91
695 695 1 157.50 $157.50 $1,095 —
725 725 1 151.00 $151.00 $1,095 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 170.00 $170.00 $468 -5.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 375 2 220.00–225.00 $222.60 $835 -16.37
400–445 423 10 204.00–247.00 $232.49 $983 -13.36
460–485 472 8 219.00–233.00 $223.78 $1,056 -2.43
505–545 518 5 190.00–207.50 $199.22 $1,032 +19.22
505–535 fancy 520 3 219.00–230.00 $222.89 $1,159 —
565–595 578 4 192.50–211.00 $201.18 $1,163 -8.50
630–640 635 2 195.00–208.00 $201.45 $1,279 +19.45
665–695 675 3 180.00–185.00 $183.28 $1,237 +12.77
708–745 717 4 158.00–164.00 $162.44 $1,165 +10.24
820 820 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,296 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 214.00 $214.00 $663 —
475 475 1 200.00 $200.00 $950 —
540 540 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,026 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 2 200.00 $200.00 $600 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1195 1185 80-85% 2 82.00–84.50 $83.26 $987 —
935–1590 1253 80-85% 10 88.00–99.50 $94.20 $1,180 —
1275–1535 1379 80-85% 4 102.00–105.50 $103.81 $1,432 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
735–1145 915 85-90% 6 75.00–83.50 $77.73 $711 —
895–1085 985 85-90% 4 62.00–72.50 $65.93 $649 —
1110 1110 85-90% 1 89.00 $89.00 $988 +10.82
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1360 1360 75-80% 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,428 +11.13
1380–1745 1554 75-80% 8 88.50–98.50 $93.08 $1,446 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075 1075 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,226 —
1345 1345 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,453 —
1645 1645 1 130.00 $130.00 $2,138 —
1275–2275 1683 4 122.00–128.00 $124.52 $2,096 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 875.00–975.00 $920.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 900.00 $900.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 1,050.00–1,200.00 $1,155.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 890.00 $890.00

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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 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 1,500.00–1,750.00 $1,590.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,950.00 $1,950.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,750.00 $1,750.00 —

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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.