Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 31, 2023

169 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $198.77/cwt +26.58 vs last sale · ≈ $965/hd at 485 lb · 12 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 169 128 216
Feeder cattle 107 61 126
Slaughter cattle 55 51 77
Replacement cattle 7 16 13

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 4.00 lower overall with slaughter bulls 4.00 to 8.00 lower. No comparisons available for feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 value added 375 1 255.00 $255.00 $956
405–430 418 2 225.00–231.00 $228.09 $953
460–483 472 6 230.00–240.00 $235.12 $1,110
510–535 523 2 235.00–251.00 $242.81 $1,270 +13.81
580 580 1 224.00 $224.00 $1,299
615–623 621 4 222.00–227.00 $225.76 $1,402
680 680 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,482 +33.00

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
394 394 4 219.00 $219.00 $863 -6.01
422 value added 422 3 190.00 $190.00 $802
455–460 fancy 458 2 205.00–209.00 $207.01 $948
475–495 489 4 182.50–190.00 $188.10 $920 +40.28
485–495 value added 492 6 200.00–216.00 $203.13 $999
535 fancy 535 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,166
545 545 2 194.00–210.00 $202.00 $1,101
585 value added 585 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,199
587 587 4 187.00 $187.00 $1,098 +17.00
638–645 value added 639 5 160.00–168.00 $166.39 $1,063
685 685 2 170.00–171.00 $170.50 $1,168
705–710 value added 708 2 165.00–167.00 $166.00 $1,175
720 720 1 145.00 $145.00 $1,044
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 1 187.50 $187.50 $994

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–445 430 4 215.00–231.00 $222.01 $955 -14.14
485 485 1 199.00 $199.00 $965 -33.37
533 533 2 208.00 $208.00 $1,109 -25.86
550–582 574 4 205.00–219.00 $208.35 $1,196 -20.89
665–695 684 5 167.50–179.00 $173.94 $1,190

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180 1180 75-80% 1 92.50 $92.50 $1,092
1275–1615 1421 75-80% 6 95.00–105.00 $100.26 $1,425
1325–1860 1521 75-80% 5 112.00–128.00 $117.15 $1,782
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1090 1040 80-85% 4 86.50–91.00 $89.48 $931
1060–1335 1160 80-85% 4 93.00–106.50 $100.09 $1,161 -3.92
1100–1390 1260 80-85% 3 109.00–112.50 $110.72 $1,395
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860 860 85-90% 1 98.00 $98.00 $843
895 895 85-90% 1 79.00 $79.00 $707
800–1160 1009 85-90% 7 81.00–92.50 $87.74 $885 +0.42

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1120 1045 3 104.50–107.50 $106.15 $1,109
1350 1350 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,458
1315–1750 1541 6 118.00–131.00 $124.23 $1,914
1790 1790 1 135.00 $135.00 $2,416

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,075.00 $1,075.00
950 950 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00
1050 1050 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,075.00 $1,075.00

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Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,290.00 $1,290.00

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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.