Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 6, 2026

131 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 131 157 183
Feeder cattle 96 106 108
Slaughter cattle 33 46 71
Replacement cattle 2 5 4

Market comments — USDA reporter

**No market trends available 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
507 507 3 450.00 $450.00 $2,282 —
610–620 617 3 400.00–420.00 $413.41 $2,551 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363–395 374 3 440.00–450.00 $446.48 $1,670 -10.93
415–435 428 6 445.00–490.00 $460.69 $1,972 +8.32
475–483 479 4 430.00 $430.00 $2,060 ±0.00
488 value added 488 2 445.00 $445.00 $2,172 —
600–613 609 3 347.50–375.00 $356.54 $2,171 -14.16
710 value added 710 2 332.50 $332.50 $2,361 —
765 765 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,448 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 480.00 $480.00 $1,128 —
445 445 1 395.00 $395.00 $1,758 —
490 490 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,862 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
855 855 1 290.00 $290.00 $2,480 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
278 278 3 530.00 $530.00 $1,473 —
320 320 1 540.00 $540.00 $1,728 -50.00
358 358 2 525.00 $525.00 $1,880 -55.00
415–420 418 2 475.00–530.00 $502.66 $2,101 +23.67
445 445 1 450.00 $450.00 $2,002 -28.99
455–460 458 2 470.00–480.00 $475.03 $2,176 +6.21
500–515 508 6 410.00–467.50 $442.18 $2,246 -25.88
545 545 1 375.00 $375.00 $2,044 —
555–575 568 4 405.00–422.50 $414.85 $2,356 -27.65
603–620 606 5 370.00–399.00 $393.07 $2,382 —
720 720 2 357.50 $357.50 $2,574 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 465.00 $465.00 $2,139 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1335 1179 80-85% 6 166.00–180.50 $172.41 $2,033 +4.43
1065–1305 1185 80-85% 2 185.00–198.00 $190.84 $2,261 +22.86
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395 1395 75-80% 1 159.00 $159.00 $2,218 —
1540 1540 75-80% 1 190.50 $190.50 $2,934 —
1430–1905 1649 75-80% 5 167.00–182.00 $173.61 $2,863 -16.39
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1025 975 85-90% 2 156.00–162.00 $158.85 $1,549 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555 1555 1 181.50 $181.50 $2,822 —
1615 1615 1 223.00 $223.00 $3,601 —
1375–2110 1738 5 198.00–210.00 $201.47 $3,502 -26.55
2360–2540 2450 2 203.00–205.00 $203.96 $4,997 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125 1125 85-90% 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,688 —

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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.