Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 4, 2024

174 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 174 115 262
Feeder cattle 109 74 151
Slaughter cattle 60 41 106
Replacement cattle 5 — 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

**No market trends available due to reporter absence last week and limited comparable receipts.

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
545 545 1 294.00 $294.00 $1,602 —
575 575 2 276.00 $276.00 $1,587 +11.00
720 720 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,692 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 value added 495 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,238 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 value added 355 1 317.50 $317.50 $1,127 —
365–390 373 3 285.00–298.00 $289.53 $1,080 —
403 value added 403 3 290.00 $290.00 $1,169 —
420 420 1 278.00 $278.00 $1,168 +19.19
460–490 472 7 270.00–288.00 $281.99 $1,331 +32.44
505 505 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,389 +35.00
515 515 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,210 -5.00
575–579 578 5 246.50–250.00 $247.20 $1,429 +19.20
605 605 1 233.00 $233.00 $1,410 +7.51
610 610 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,281 -15.49
615 value added 615 6 240.00 $240.00 $1,476 —
650 650 3 230.00 $230.00 $1,495 +10.00
720 value added 720 2 214.00 $214.00 $1,541 —
833 833 2 201.00 $201.00 $1,674 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 280.00 $280.00 $728 —
470 470 4 232.00 $232.00 $1,090 —
525 525 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,166 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 305.00 $305.00 $732 —
285 285 1 307.50 $307.50 $876 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 320.00 $320.00 $800 —
350–390 377 3 330.00–340.00 $333.10 $1,256 +16.68
420–430 425 5 305.00–319.00 $311.72 $1,325 +41.72
538–545 540 3 266.00–267.50 $267.00 $1,442 +9.50
610–640 625 2 223.00–246.00 $234.78 $1,467 —
670–690 681 5 220.00–230.00 $226.42 $1,542 —
705–720 713 2 215.00–220.00 $217.47 $1,551 +23.47
790 790 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,580 —
805–825 815 2 192.00–204.00 $198.07 $1,614 +13.07
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–330 328 2 327.50–330.00 $328.74 $1,078 —
420 420 1 297.00 $297.00 $1,247 —
500 500 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,050 -17.50
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 275.00 $275.00 $962 —
445 445 1 227.50 $227.50 $1,012 -12.50
453 453 2 242.50 $242.50 $1,099 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1090 1073 80-85% 4 129.00–142.00 $135.77 $1,457 +42.27
975–1425 1208 80-85% 12 112.00–126.00 $118.01 $1,426 —
1095–1335 1246 80-85% 4 104.00–109.00 $106.17 $1,323 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1390–1870 1621 75-80% 6 112.00–127.00 $121.67 $1,972 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1135 1100 85-90% 2 94.00 $94.00 $1,034 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460 1460 1 152.50 $152.50 $2,226 —
1825 1825 1 159.00 $159.00 $2,902 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,275.00 $1,275.00

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1410 1168 85-90% 4 94.00–108.50 $102.56 $1,198 —
1040–1415 1228 85-90% 2 90.00–91.00 $90.42 $1,110 —
1290 1290 85-90% 1 115.00 $115.00 $1,484 —
1200–1430 1345 80-85% 4 105.00–112.50 $108.48 $1,459 —
1605–1880 1684 75-80% 5 105.50–111.00 $108.21 $1,822 —

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Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505 505 1 165.00 $165.00 $833 —

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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.