Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 15, 2024

123 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 123 190 194
Feeder cattle 72 106 116
Slaughter cattle 41 69 52
Replacement cattle 10 15 26

Market comments — USDA reporter

**No comparisons available due to reporter absence last week.

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
300–340 320 2 315.00 $315.00 $1,008 —
355 355 1 317.50 $317.50 $1,127 -12.50
415 415 1 332.50 $332.50 $1,380 —
488 488 2 314.00 $314.00 $1,532 —
550–595 565 3 291.00–300.00 $294.16 $1,662 —
603–635 614 3 259.00–269.00 $265.55 $1,630 —
690 690 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,794 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,298 —
605 605 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,422 —
925 925 1 182.50 $182.50 $1,688 —

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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 1 280.00 $280.00 $728 ±0.00
300 300 1 295.00 $295.00 $885 —
383 383 2 277.50 $277.50 $1,063 -18.11
440 440 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,298 +35.00
465 465 2 285.00 $285.00 $1,325 +30.00
533 533 4 250.00 $250.00 $1,332 +12.96
605 605 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,316 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1390 1390 1 146.00 $146.00 $2,029 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 305.00 $305.00 $824 -20.00
310–315 313 2 325.00–330.00 $327.48 $1,025 —
350 350 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,295 +65.00
420 420 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,302 +30.00
480 480 1 307.50 $307.50 $1,476 +27.50
530 530 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,484 +0.62
613–615 614 5 237.50–240.00 $239.00 $1,467 +12.50
735 735 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,507 -5.00
825 825 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,568 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 3 270.00 $270.00 $918 +8.82
383 383 2 295.00 $295.00 $1,130 +20.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1360 1360 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 2,275.00 $2,275.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1430 1156 80-85% 9 117.00–129.00 $122.82 $1,420 —
1025–1280 1166 80-85% 4 132.00–140.00 $134.45 $1,568 +14.65
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945 945 85-90% 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,011 +6.54
910–1220 1061 85-90% 7 119.00–125.00 $120.59 $1,279 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1390 1293 75-80% 2 124.00–125.00 $124.54 $1,610 —
1590–1645 1618 75-80% 2 147.00–150.00 $148.47 $2,402 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395–2020 1662 3 168.00–175.00 $171.58 $2,852 —
1695–2030 1863 2 150.00–162.00 $156.54 $2,916 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,875.00 $1,875.00
1400 1400 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00

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Dairy Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1910 1910 1 153.00 $153.00 $2,922 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265 1265 85-90% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,341 —

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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.