Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 17, 2023

194 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 194 268 200
Feeder cattle 116 156 118
Slaughter cattle 52 88 72
Replacement cattle 26 24 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 6.00 to 9.00 higher overall, with slaughter bulls 2.00 to 5.00 higher. 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
300 300 1 235.00 $235.00 $705 —
405–430 418 2 205.00–207.50 $206.29 $862 —
478 478 2 217.00 $217.00 $1,037 -2.00
505 505 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,060 —
565 565 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,130 -8.00
710 710 1 203.00 $203.00 $1,441 +12.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885 885 1 161.00 $161.00 $1,425 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 200.00 $200.00 $520 -3.04
330 330 1 190.00 $190.00 $627 +1.85
370–395 383 2 183.00–200.00 $191.22 $732 +6.31
425 425 2 179.00–180.00 $179.50 $763 -24.50
474 value added 474 4 204.00 $204.00 $967 —
470–495 478 3 185.00–190.00 $188.02 $899 +6.60
500–545 518 6 170.00–190.00 $182.67 $946 +7.13
860 860 1 123.00 $123.00 $1,058 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 160.00 $160.00 $768 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 1 160.00 $160.00 $872 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–398 385 3 215.00 $215.00 $828 -0.31
400–425 415 3 205.00–227.00 $215.88 $896 +5.53
455–490 473 2 200.00–210.00 $204.81 $969 -2.66
510 fancy 510 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,173 —
520–525 523 2 192.50–212.50 $202.45 $1,059 +5.25
550 550 1 202.00 $202.00 $1,111 —
617 617 8 185.00 $185.00 $1,141 —
733 733 6 170.00 $170.00 $1,246 —
835 835 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,127 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 202.50 $202.50 $810 +37.50
588 588 2 155.00 $155.00 $911 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 187.50 $187.50 $450 —
310 310 1 200.00 $200.00 $620 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1425 1108 80-85% 13 96.00–103.50 $99.34 $1,101 +16.21
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1160 1041 85-90% 4 72.00–76.50 $74.99 $781 -6.22
830–1395 1117 85-90% 5 85.00–92.00 $88.42 $988 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1510 1420 75-80% 3 95.00–109.00 $104.30 $1,481 —
1430 1430 75-80% 1 113.00 $113.00 $1,616 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1515–1870 1660 4 123.00–128.50 $126.50 $2,100 —
1830 1830 1 110.00 $110.00 $2,013 -12.98

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050–1150 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,200.00–1,300.00 $1,250.00
1250 1250 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,080.00 $1,080.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000 1000 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 890.00 $890.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00

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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
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,090.00 $1,090.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 1,380.00–1,450.00 $1,426.67 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,350.00–1,450.00 $1,400.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,380.00–1,420.00 $1,400.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00 —

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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.