Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 16, 2024

219 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 219 188 324
Feeder cattle 137 132 217
Slaughter cattle 79 53 87
Replacement cattle 3 3 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 2.00 to 4.00 lower overall, with no comparisons available for slaughter bulls and feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts, but a lower undertone was noted for feeder heifers.

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
315 315 1 332.50 $332.50 $1,047 —
393 393 2 290.00 $290.00 $1,140 —
490 490 1 253.00 $253.00 $1,240 —
525 value added 525 1 259.00 $259.00 $1,360 —
608–638 628 6 226.00–232.50 $230.40 $1,447 +1.40

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 332 3 232.50–242.50 $238.20 $791 -21.92
365–398 387 5 230.00–244.00 $240.53 $931 -10.88
410–445 433 3 219.00–230.00 $223.08 $966 -18.41
470–490 481 7 221.00–237.00 $226.71 $1,090 -18.69
520 520 1 229.00 $229.00 $1,191 -11.00
555 555 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,179 +2.50
600–630 610 4 202.50–219.00 $211.05 $1,287 —
685 685 1 188.00 $188.00 $1,288 +1.00
720–735 730 3 180.00–195.00 $190.07 $1,388 -0.93
790 790 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,382 -18.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
377–388 value added 383 6 239.00–245.00 $241.96 $927 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 1 180.00 $180.00 $900 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 297.50 $297.50 $922 -12.50
413 413 2 260.00 $260.00 $1,074 -20.46
465–495 476 8 240.00–281.00 $251.14 $1,195 -16.78
500–520 511 4 219.00–239.00 $230.20 $1,176 -15.88
515 fancy 515 1 263.00 $263.00 $1,354 —
560–580 574 6 221.00–238.00 $232.40 $1,334 -14.60
590 590 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,268 -32.00
610–638 625 7 210.00–225.00 $216.81 $1,355 -1.19
650 650 2 208.00–214.00 $211.00 $1,372 -7.10
665 665 1 202.00 $202.00 $1,343 -16.10
715 715 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,466 ±0.00
875 875 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,619 —
875 875 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,575 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485 485 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,018 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1165 1120 80-85% 3 104.50–106.00 $105.52 $1,182 -12.78
915–1600 1198 80-85% 18 108.50–124.00 $116.54 $1,396 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125–1600 1381 75-80% 8 108.50–124.50 $116.64 $1,611 —
1470–1655 1563 75-80% 2 127.50–133.00 $130.41 $2,038 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1240 1025 85-90% 6 102.00–113.00 $107.21 $1,099 —
1005–1045 1025 85-90% 2 96.50–100.00 $98.28 $1,007 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1615–1790 1693 3 150.00–151.50 $150.53 $2,548 —

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Bred Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800 800 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,140.00 $1,140.00
900 900 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00

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Dairy Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1970 1970 1 142.50 $142.50 $2,807 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1020 984 85-90% 5 89.00–96.00 $91.64 $902 —
1100 1100 75-80% 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,155 —
1130–1235 1183 85-90% 2 102.00–105.00 $103.43 $1,224 —
1455–1750 1603 75-80% 2 109.00 $109.00 $1,747 —

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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.