Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 11, 2024

138 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 138 174 109
Feeder cattle 106 109 58
Slaughter cattle 26 60 40
Replacement cattle 6 5 11

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls gauging 10.00 to 12.00 lower overall, with no comparisons available for feeder classes due to 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
345 345 3 402.00 $402.00 $1,387 —
515–525 520 2 290.00–312.50 $301.14 $1,566 +7.14
645 645 1 243.00 $243.00 $1,567 —
705–710 708 2 240.00–245.00 $242.49 $1,717 +7.49

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 322.50 $322.50 $951 —
330 330 1 315.00 $315.00 $1,040 —
352 352 3 292.50 $292.50 $1,030 +2.97
425 425 2 247.50 $247.50 $1,052 -30.50
445 445 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,190 -10.50
460–470 463 3 254.00–282.00 $263.47 $1,220 -18.52
501–533 512 6 252.00–256.00 $253.39 $1,297 +18.39
565 565 1 231.00 $231.00 $1,305 -16.20
588–595 592 6 238.00–245.00 $241.48 $1,430 -5.72
610–620 615 2 209.00–220.00 $214.54 $1,319 +4.54
743 743 3 205.00 $205.00 $1,523 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 250.00 $250.00 $538 —
300 300 1 245.00 $245.00 $735 —
390 390 1 212.50 $212.50 $829 —
415 415 1 207.50 $207.50 $861 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
298 298 2 385.00 $385.00 $1,147 —
320–330 325 2 370.00 $370.00 $1,202 —
395 395 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,304 -3.10
423 423 3 310.00 $310.00 $1,311 -1.72
517 517 3 269.00 $269.00 $1,391 +2.00
625–645 638 3 233.00–234.00 $233.67 $1,491 -1.11
685 685 2 229.00 $229.00 $1,569 +2.58
733 733 2 215.00 $215.00 $1,576 -2.47
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–338 335 3 317.50 $317.50 $1,064 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980 980 80-85% 1 123.00 $123.00 $1,205 —
980–1245 1113 80-85% 6 100.00–112.00 $106.46 $1,185 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1660 1273 75-80% 6 109.00–114.50 $111.96 $1,425 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1080 1040 85-90% 2 102.50–105.50 $103.94 $1,081 —
1100 1100 85-90% 1 90.00 $90.00 $990 -4.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2045 2045 1 139.00 $139.00 $2,843 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,825.00 $1,825.00
1000 1000 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,775.00 $1,775.00
1150 1150 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,550.00 $1,550.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950 950 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1420 1365 80-85% 2 104.50–108.50 $106.58 $1,455 —

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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.