Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 22, 2026

145 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 145 190 56
Feeder cattle 97 126 24
Slaughter cattle 48 55 32
Replacement cattle — 9 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows sold 6.00 to 7.00 lower, with no market trends available for slaughter bulls and feeder cattle 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
388 value added 388 2 525.00 $525.00 $2,037 —
455 value added 455 2 502.50 $502.50 $2,286 —
530 value added 530 3 475.00 $475.00 $2,518 —
543 543 6 445.00 $445.00 $2,416 —
563 563 5 425.00 $425.00 $2,393 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 490.00 $490.00 $1,617 -36.61
350–365 355 3 455.00–500.00 $479.65 $1,703 +6.98
360 thin fleshed 360 1 525.00 $525.00 $1,890 +20.00
480 480 2 450.00 $450.00 $2,160 +40.00
500 value added 500 1 440.00 $440.00 $2,200 —
550–568 value added 562 3 380.00–410.00 $389.79 $2,191 +7.29
560–565 563 4 370.00–375.00 $373.12 $2,101 —
630 630 1 355.00 $355.00 $2,236 -13.75
735 735 1 305.00 $305.00 $2,242 -40.05
780 780 1 280.00 $280.00 $2,184 —
833 value added 833 2 315.00 $315.00 $2,624 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 465.00 $465.00 $1,558 —
410 410 1 417.50 $417.50 $1,712 —
590 590 1 345.00 $345.00 $2,036 —
750 750 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,400 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 288 2 570.00 $570.00 $1,642 -130.00
375 375 2 480.00–500.00 $490.00 $1,838 -36.54
455 455 1 485.00 $485.00 $2,207 -28.68
535 535 2 370.00–382.50 $376.25 $2,013 -8.75
550–570 560 2 380.00–427.50 $403.33 $2,259 -15.42
625 625 1 362.50 $362.50 $2,266 -15.00
655 655 2 360.00–372.50 $366.25 $2,399 +33.75
705 705 1 357.50 $357.50 $2,520 —
820 820 1 315.00 $315.00 $2,583 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 1 407.50 $407.50 $1,915 -2.50
605 605 1 355.00 $355.00 $2,148 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 510.00 $510.00 $1,377 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1330 1184 80-85% 9 162.50–176.00 $171.34 $2,029 —
1195–1255 1225 80-85% 2 182.50–184.00 $183.27 $2,245 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210–1580 1339 75-80% 8 162.00–180.00 $173.36 $2,321 —
1450–1490 1470 75-80% 2 184.50–185.00 $184.75 $2,716 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–1030 930 85-90% 3 149.00–158.00 $152.24 $1,416 —
905–1210 1037 85-90% 6 160.00–176.00 $166.06 $1,722 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1735 1500 2 197.00–205.00 $200.37 $3,006 —
1545 1545 1 233.00 $233.00 $3,600 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835–1310 1073 85-90% 2 156.00–157.00 $156.39 $1,678 —

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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.