Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 16, 2023

200 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 200 215 292
Feeder cattle 140 143 172
Slaughter cattle 52 67 111
Replacement cattle 8 5 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, breaker cows 2.00 to 6.00 lower, with lean cows 3.00 higher, slaughter bulls 1.00 lower, and no comparisons available for boning cows and feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts. High-quality offerings were noted for feeder classes.

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
425 425 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,041 -17.50
450–473 465 3 240.00–249.00 $242.90 $1,129 +2.90
500–530 516 4 235.00–240.00 $238.01 $1,228 -16.99
565–585 577 3 235.00–255.00 $243.21 $1,403 —
620–640 631 4 225.00–235.00 $228.76 $1,443 -6.24
630–640 value added 637 3 241.00–242.00 $241.33 $1,537 —
657 value added 657 3 239.00 $239.00 $1,570 —
670–695 685 6 224.00–234.00 $226.30 $1,550 -10.70
720–740 730 2 220.00–226.00 $222.96 $1,628 —
752 value added 752 3 224.00 $224.00 $1,684 —
765 765 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,683 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–485 463 7 218.00–232.00 $220.81 $1,022 +1.25
505–541 530 9 205.00–216.00 $214.73 $1,138 +9.10
565–575 570 2 210.00–225.00 $217.57 $1,240 +2.57
570 value added 570 1 231.00 $231.00 $1,317 —
605–630 617 3 220.00–223.00 $221.68 $1,368 —
630 value added 630 2 225.00 $225.00 $1,418 —
650–685 668 2 219.00–220.00 $219.51 $1,466 —
803 803 3 169.00 $169.00 $1,357 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 240.00 $240.00 $516 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,063 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 2 235.00 $235.00 $646 —
325 325 1 240.00 $240.00 $780 -27.39
395 395 1 250.00 $250.00 $988 —
416 fancy 416 4 251.00 $251.00 $1,044 —
440–445 443 3 220.00–221.00 $220.67 $978 +10.67
480–485 483 4 230.00–240.00 $236.49 $1,142 +6.49
521 521 6 239.00 $239.00 $1,245 +22.00
625 625 2 215.00 $215.00 $1,344 —
710 710 1 173.00 $173.00 $1,228 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 230.00 $230.00 $840 —
510 510 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,096 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920 920 85-90% 1 80.50 $80.50 $741 —
840–1425 1091 85-90% 15 83.50–97.00 $89.36 $975 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010 1010 75-80% 1 89.00 $89.00 $899 —
1145 1145 75-80% 1 119.00 $119.00 $1,363 —
1375–1985 1659 75-80% 9 98.50–110.00 $102.72 $1,704 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145 1145 80-85% 1 92.50 $92.50 $1,059 —
1250 1250 80-85% 1 109.00 $109.00 $1,362 -13.90

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1310 1263 2 119.50–120.00 $119.74 $1,512 —
1755 1755 1 139.00 $139.00 $2,439 —
1680–1965 1794 5 126.00–134.00 $130.07 $2,333 -1.15

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1350 1350 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00
1400 1400 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00
1675 1675 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1350 1350 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,230.00–1,290.00 $1,260.00

↑ Back to top

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.