Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 18, 2026

124 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 124 127 103
Feeder cattle 94 81 73
Slaughter cattle 30 23 30
Replacement cattle — 23 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

**No market trends available due to limited comparable receipts, however, a higher undertone was noted for feeder and slaughter cattle.

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
525 value added 525 1 590.00 $590.00 $3,098 —
560 value added 560 1 460.00 $460.00 $2,576 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 value added 365 2 485.00 $485.00 $1,770 —
410 value added 410 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,050 —
431 431 7 470.00 $470.00 $2,026 +38.25
455 455 2 444.50 $444.50 $2,022 —
500–545 513 9 405.00–432.50 $425.05 $2,181 —
555 555 1 407.50 $407.50 $2,262 +64.98
635 635 2 355.00 $355.00 $2,254 +12.50
675 value added 675 1 360.00 $360.00 $2,430 —
695 695 1 337.50 $337.50 $2,346 +10.00
728–747 739 5 325.00–329.00 $326.58 $2,413 —
880 value added 880 5 310.00 $310.00 $2,728 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 452.50 $452.50 $1,652 —
525 525 1 385.00 $385.00 $2,021 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 560.00 $560.00 $2,240 +95.28
462–488 472 5 452.50–465.00 $459.83 $2,170 +13.01
514 514 4 445.00 $445.00 $2,287 +40.00
561 561 4 391.00 $391.00 $2,194 +42.35
685 685 1 350.00 $350.00 $2,398 +11.88
810 810 2 307.50 $307.50 $2,491 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 455.00 $455.00 $1,843 —
655 655 1 335.00 $335.00 $2,194 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 525.00 $525.00 $1,680 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–995 890 85-90% 3 136.00–137.00 $136.63 $1,216 —
870–1190 1008 85-90% 8 147.00–162.00 $154.92 $1,562 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000 1000 80-85% 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,660 —
1225–1285 1250 80-85% 3 178.00–190.00 $182.61 $2,283 +17.20
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1660 1414 75-80% 4 165.00–176.00 $171.51 $2,425 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1905 1905 1 200.00 $200.00 $3,810 —

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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.