Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 4, 2024

257 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $251.84/cwt +22.84 vs last sale · ≈ $1,203/hd at 478 lb · 24 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $261.41/cwt +1.65 vs last sale · ≈ $1,179/hd at 451 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 257 198 313
Feeder cattle 178 148 244
Slaughter cattle 59 44 63
Replacement cattle 20 6 6

Market comments — USDA reporter

Not enough comparable receipts to form a trend but a higher undertone was noted on quality feeders. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 3.00 higher, slaughter bulls 3.00 lower.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–343 335 3 300.00–315.00 $310.23 $1,039 +10.23
353–370 357 4 280.00–300.00 $294.82 $1,053 —
420 420 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,281 +32.91
465 465 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,256 —
530 530 2 245.00 $245.00 $1,298 —
613 613 3 233.00 $233.00 $1,428 -8.00
650 650 1 229.00 $229.00 $1,488 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 252.50 $252.50 $707 —
328–345 341 9 262.50–285.00 $267.31 $912 +7.31
445 445 2 230.00–233.00 $231.50 $1,030 -0.50
473 value added 473 16 260.00 $260.00 $1,230 —
470–495 487 8 227.00–238.00 $235.52 $1,147 +6.52
527–530 528 6 229.00–232.50 $229.59 $1,212 +2.59
613 value added 613 4 255.00 $255.00 $1,563 —
600–647 628 5 212.00–215.00 $213.15 $1,339 +14.15
700–745 723 2 193.00–207.00 $199.78 $1,444 —
860–880 870 2 172.50–179.00 $175.79 $1,529 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280–290 285 2 225.00–255.00 $240.26 $685 —
315–345 335 5 220.00–242.00 $231.46 $775 -8.54
375–395 385 2 220.00–225.00 $222.44 $856 —
435 435 1 210.00 $210.00 $914 —
485 485 1 195.00 $195.00 $946 —
530–549 544 6 200.00–215.00 $210.15 $1,143 -9.85
634 634 8 213.00 $213.00 $1,350 +13.00
895 895 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,432 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–395 388 6 270.00–285.00 $274.22 $1,064 -18.28
417 417 3 299.00 $299.00 $1,247 +36.88
450–452 451 15 249.00–265.00 $261.41 $1,179 +1.65
545 545 2 219.00 $219.00 $1,194 -16.00
555–563 557 7 223.00–234.00 $226.01 $1,259 -1.63
735–738 737 4 187.50–189.00 $188.63 $1,390 -1.57
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 250.00 $250.00 $900 -8.73
455–475 465 2 200.00–223.00 $211.75 $985 —
500 500 1 228.00 $228.00 $1,140 —
565–590 582 3 212.00–217.00 $213.62 $1,243 —
655–668 664 3 186.00–204.00 $198.08 $1,315 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 240.00 $240.00 $984 —
470 470 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,022 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1785 1481 75-80% 11 129.00–138.50 $134.71 $1,995 —
1305–1720 1513 75-80% 2 124.00–125.00 $124.43 $1,883 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
770–1300 1035 85-90% 5 106.00–109.00 $107.68 $1,114 —
805–1145 1036 85-90% 7 114.00–129.50 $121.46 $1,258 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1335 1330 80-85% 2 119.00–121.50 $120.25 $1,599 -18.83
1160–1590 1347 80-85% 10 123.00–136.50 $131.30 $1,769 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1390 1310 2 140.50–152.00 $146.60 $1,920 —
1510–1935 1745 4 146.00–159.50 $154.58 $2,697 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,200.00–2,100.00 $1,800.00
— — Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,380.00 $1,380.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,750.00 $1,750.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,475.00 $1,475.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,110.00 $1,110.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,275.00 $1,275.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,250.00 $2,250.00 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1340 1164 85-90% 4 99.00–105.00 $102.67 $1,195 -13.33

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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.