Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 27, 2023

249 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 249 315 160
Feeder cattle 154 243 86
Slaughter cattle 78 60 66
Replacement cattle 17 12 8

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to this market last week, feeder receipts were too limited to develop a trend. Slaughter classes were 2.00 to 12.00 lower.

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
250–285 268 2 197.50–205.00 $201.00 $539 —
320–345 337 3 230.00–295.00 $250.94 $846 —
425 425 1 225.00 $225.00 $956 -13.16
550 value added 550 2 231.00 $231.00 $1,270 —
665 665 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,530 -4.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–330 328 2 200.00–218.00 $209.07 $686 —
765 765 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,148 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 213.00 $213.00 $735 -8.00
360–385 370 3 177.50–190.00 $185.95 $688 -41.44
435 435 1 214.00 $214.00 $931 -6.35
448 value added 448 2 222.00 $222.00 $995 —
450–482 474 4 180.00–214.00 $188.07 $891 -26.42
500–540 515 3 200.00–210.00 $205.53 $1,058 +4.59
550–585 568 2 190.00–204.00 $196.78 $1,118 -6.22
595 595 1 155.00 $155.00 $922 -48.00
625 625 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,219 +2.50
675 675 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,148 -10.00
715–730 720 3 165.00–175.00 $171.69 $1,236 -11.31
765 765 2 170.00–175.00 $172.50 $1,320 -4.50
875 875 1 112.50 $112.50 $984 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 335 5 165.00–177.50 $170.49 $571 —
340 fancy 340 4 211.00 $211.00 $717 —
400–445 426 4 160.00–180.00 $172.76 $736 —
530 530 1 180.00 $180.00 $954 —
565 565 1 155.00 $155.00 $876 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
670 670 1 135.00 $135.00 $904 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 230.00 $230.00 $794 —
380–385 382 3 223.00–252.50 $234.25 $895 -0.75
408–435 416 9 230.00–245.00 $239.56 $997 +19.68
455–495 480 7 215.00–234.00 $225.09 $1,080 +0.89
525–535 526 7 207.50–221.00 $219.04 $1,152 +4.15
560 fancy 560 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,232 —
565 565 3 190.00–200.00 $195.00 $1,102 -8.35
670–685 678 3 170.00–180.00 $173.29 $1,175 -6.71
710–745 730 4 165.00–175.00 $170.57 $1,245 —
755–770 763 2 165.00 $165.00 $1,259 -9.00
815–845 827 3 160.00–165.00 $162.31 $1,342 +10.31
915–935 925 2 139.00–140.00 $139.49 $1,290 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 211.00 $211.00 $728 —
385–395 390 2 200.00–217.00 $208.61 $814 —
445 445 2 192.50–200.00 $196.25 $873 —
450–475 463 6 155.00–204.00 $177.08 $820 —
560 560 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,008 —
600 600 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,110 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 200.00 $200.00 $760 —
495 495 1 127.50 $127.50 $631 -57.50
515 515 1 177.50 $177.50 $914 —
615 615 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,076 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1550 1252 80-85% 11 82.00–89.50 $86.07 $1,078 -24.30
1250–1285 1268 80-85% 2 78.50–80.00 $79.24 $1,005 -31.13
1165–1430 1303 80-85% 5 93.50–101.50 $96.25 $1,254 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1700 1412 75-80% 15 83.00–98.00 $91.72 $1,295 -8.17
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1270 1097 85-90% 7 72.50–79.50 $76.14 $835 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–2060 1626 7 119.00–128.00 $124.07 $2,017 —
2055 2055 1 115.00 $115.00 $2,363 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 1,175.00–1,250.00 $1,212.50
— — Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 975.00–1,075.00 $1,025.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00
— — Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,125.00–1,300.00 $1,191.67
— — Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,190.00 $1,190.00
— — Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 950.00–1,110.00 $1,030.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 850.00 $850.00

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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.