Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 25, 2026

120 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 120 237 189
Feeder cattle 72 166 127
Slaughter cattle 45 52 56
Replacement cattle 3 19 6

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, boning cows sold 8.00 lower, with lean cows and slaughter bulls mostly steady, and no comparisons available for breaker cows due to limited comparable receipts but a lower undertone noted. Also 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
425 425 1 490.00 $490.00 $2,082 —
425–445 435 2 445.00–450.00 $447.44 $1,946 —
553 value added 553 4 492.50 $492.50 $2,724 —
615 615 1 430.00 $430.00 $2,644 —
655 value added 655 2 435.00 $435.00 $2,849 —
820 820 1 331.00 $331.00 $2,714 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
675 675 1 390.00 $390.00 $2,632 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 600.00 $600.00 $1,770 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
312 312 3 525.00 $525.00 $1,638 +10.00
350–375 365 5 470.00–520.00 $503.02 $1,836 +19.90
410–445 427 3 445.00–465.00 $456.86 $1,951 -24.05
473 473 6 469.00 $469.00 $2,218 +36.62
546 value added 546 5 423.00 $423.00 $2,310 —
570 570 1 390.00 $390.00 $2,223 +2.50
653 value added 653 3 372.50 $372.50 $2,432 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–485 473 2 360.00–370.00 $365.13 $1,727 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340–345 343 2 620.00–630.00 $625.04 $2,144 +0.04
365 365 1 630.00 $630.00 $2,300 +67.43
415 415 1 610.00 $610.00 $2,532 +104.13
455–485 470 2 452.50–460.00 $456.13 $2,144 -19.50
510 510 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,040 -16.56
505–540 521 4 420.00–465.00 $444.63 $2,317 +28.07
670 670 1 392.50 $392.50 $2,630 +37.66
805 805 1 297.50 $297.50 $2,395 —
875 875 3 265.00 $265.00 $2,319 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 2 500.00–555.00 $527.50 $1,873 —
928 928 2 260.00 $260.00 $2,413 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 490.00 $490.00 $1,298 —
305 305 1 500.00 $500.00 $1,525 -30.00
580 580 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,972 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
975–1340 1161 80-85% 7 156.00–166.00 $162.52 $1,887 —
1150–1345 1248 80-85% 2 169.00–175.00 $172.23 $2,149 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1130 1035 85-90% 3 149.00–162.00 $153.37 $1,587 +11.69
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1585–1610 1598 75-80% 2 160.00–161.00 $160.50 $2,565 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–2070 1464 6 194.00–204.00 $198.21 $2,902 -10.79
1780 1780 1 210.00 $210.00 $3,738 —

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,775.00 $3,775.00

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Dairy Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2510 2510 1 196.00 $196.00 $4,920 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1420 1364 85-90% 4 146.00–155.00 $151.00 $2,060 —
1675 1675 80-85% 1 156.00 $156.00 $2,613 —

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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.