Cattle Market Pulse

East Tennessee Livestock Center Market Report

Sweetwater, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 20, 2026

128 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 128 139 103
Feeder cattle 74 97 49
Slaughter cattle 44 38 49
Replacement cattle 10 4 5

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
370 370 1 545.00 $545.00 $2,016 —
420 420 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,100 —
600 value added 600 1 415.00 $415.00 $2,490 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
600 value added 600 1 410.00 $410.00 $2,460 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 485.00 $485.00 $1,722 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–365 358 2 435.00–445.00 $440.10 $1,576 +15.10
403–415 406 4 465.00–475.00 $472.44 $1,918 +67.44
460–490 477 3 410.00 $410.00 $1,956 -14.81
497 value added 497 3 420.00 $420.00 $2,087 —
515–530 525 3 380.00 $380.00 $1,995 +15.00
575 575 1 370.00 $370.00 $2,128 —
600–640 620 2 350.00–360.00 $355.16 $2,202 -29.84
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 430.00 $430.00 $1,354 —
340 value added 340 1 445.00 $445.00 $1,513 ±0.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 525.00 $525.00 $1,916 ±0.00
410–448 435 6 480.00–505.00 $491.42 $2,138 +46.42
520 520 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,080 -70.05
605–645 623 6 350.00–400.00 $378.82 $2,360 +8.82
680–690 685 2 360.00–390.00 $374.89 $2,568 +58.76
873 873 2 265.00 $265.00 $2,313 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 490.00 $490.00 $1,421 —
460 460 1 390.00 $390.00 $1,794 —
505–520 513 2 350.00–385.00 $367.76 $1,887 —
585 585 1 362.50 $362.50 $2,121 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515 515 1 395.00 $395.00 $2,034 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200 1200 75-80% 1 192.00 $192.00 $2,304 —
1210–1590 1407 75-80% 9 174.00–189.00 $181.60 $2,555 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1220 1150 80-85% 4 171.00–184.50 $179.63 $2,066 —
1285–1290 1288 80-85% 2 188.00–197.00 $192.49 $2,479 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1055 940 85-90% 2 149.00–153.00 $150.76 $1,417 —
925–1055 990 85-90% 2 166.00–170.00 $168.13 $1,664 —
1065 1065 85-90% 1 173.50 $173.50 $1,848 +25.50

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415–2090 1722 3 217.00–220.00 $218.37 $3,760 —
1430–2170 1800 2 231.00–238.00 $233.78 $4,208 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,850.00–2,400.00 $2,125.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,500.00 $2,500.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,550.00 $2,550.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,000.00 $2,000.00

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1160 1083 85-90% 3 150.00–156.00 $153.86 $1,666 —
1320–1470 1380 85-90% 4 161.00–169.00 $166.12 $2,292 —

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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.