Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 8, 2025

107 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 107 132 130
Feeder cattle 33 73 64
Slaughter cattle 56 54 65
Replacement cattle 18 5 1

Market comments — USDA reporter

**No market trends available due to no sales the last two weeks in observance of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,112 —
560 560 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,512 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 value added 530 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,537 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 value added 475 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,425 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,372 +10.00
550 550 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,348 —
555 value added 555 2 251.00 $251.00 $1,393 —
745 745 1 206.00 $206.00 $1,535 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,164 —
535 535 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,230 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,279 -38.81
865 865 1 207.50 $207.50 $1,795 +22.39

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295–1385 1332 75-80% 3 139.50–140.00 $139.83 $1,863 —
1360–1725 1500 75-80% 10 120.00–133.00 $126.21 $1,893 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1430 1212 80-85% 9 120.00–134.00 $129.39 $1,568 —
1140–1465 1287 80-85% 3 138.00–142.50 $140.64 $1,810 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–1150 1012 85-90% 3 100.00–109.00 $103.71 $1,050 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2110 2110 1 170.00 $170.00 $3,587 —

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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 1,525.00 $1,525.00
950 950 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00
1000–1300 1117 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,500.00–1,900.00 $1,708.33
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800 800 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000–1100 1050 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,000.00–2,200.00 $2,100.00
1050 1050 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,925.00 $1,925.00

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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
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,600.00 $2,600.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,850.00 $2,850.00 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230 1230 80-85% 1 118.00 $118.00 $1,451 +30.47
1125–1365 1243 85-90% 5 112.50–123.00 $118.26 $1,470 +30.73
1505–1895 1727 75-80% 5 116.50–135.00 $126.23 $2,180 —

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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.