Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 29, 2024

142 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $239.77/cwt ≈ $1,499/hd at 625 lb · 15 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $251.16/cwt -13.84 vs last sale · ≈ $1,670/hd at 665 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 142 136 169
Feeder cattle 100 82 107
Slaughter cattle 31 44 55
Replacement cattle 11 10 7

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparisons available for feeder and slaughter classes due to limited comparable receipts. Link to video load: https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_2228.pdf

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
245 245 1 287.50 $287.50 $704 —
260–295 280 5 320.00–330.00 $324.88 $910 —
323 323 2 330.00 $330.00 $1,066 +22.50
360–385 373 2 315.00–325.00 $320.17 $1,194 —
430 430 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,268 —
565 565 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,638 —
653–683 665 10 245.00–260.00 $251.16 $1,670 -13.84
815 815 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,712 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 232.50 $232.50 $756 —
760 760 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,558 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 287.50 $287.50 $891 —
530 530 1 277.50 $277.50 $1,471 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–290 277 5 262.50–292.50 $282.05 $781 —
318–330 322 3 290.00–300.00 $293.42 $945 —
365–390 379 4 255.00–270.00 $260.07 $986 -15.16
465 465 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,070 -23.25
621–629 625 15 239.50–240.00 $239.77 $1,499 —
695 695 1 187.00 $187.00 $1,300 —
775–795 785 2 175.00 $175.00 $1,374 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
735 735 3 162.00 $162.00 $1,191 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 265.00 $265.00 $835 -75.00
360 360 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,080 -12.50
413 413 2 320.00 $320.00 $1,322 +26.96
628 628 6 240.00 $240.00 $1,507 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–420 410 2 250.00–290.00 $270.49 $1,109 —
470–490 483 3 240.00–262.50 $255.21 $1,233 —
565 565 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,356 —
708 708 3 213.00 $213.00 $1,508 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1440 1048 80-85% 6 133.00–144.00 $139.35 $1,460 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1175 973 85-90% 5 133.00–140.00 $135.51 $1,319 +19.79
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1570 1570 75-80% 1 144.00 $144.00 $2,261 —
1590 1590 75-80% 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,988 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1680–2275 1978 2 168.00–169.00 $168.42 $3,331 +0.35

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 975.00 $975.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,675.00 $1,675.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,875.00 $1,875.00 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1400 1275 80-85% 2 120.00–128.00 $124.39 $1,586 +20.39
1315–1460 1365 85-90% 3 125.00–127.00 $126.03 $1,720 —

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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.