Cattle Market Pulse

Knoxville Livestock Center Market Report

Knoxville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 20, 2021

455 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Knoxville Livestock Center report →

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $116.07/cwt -0.43 vs last sale · ≈ $607/hd at 523 lb · 23 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $120.13/cwt +10.94 vs last sale · ≈ $787/hd at 655 lb · 21 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $122.01/cwt +10.25 vs last sale · ≈ $705/hd at 578 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 455 429 428
Feeder cattle 311 369 283
Slaughter cattle 58 45 107
Replacement cattle 86 15 38

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to sale two weeks ago, feeder heifers weighing less than 500 lbs. 4.00 lower, with those weighing over 500 lbs. 4.00 higher. Feeder bulls mostly steady overall, with no comparisons available for feeder steers due to limited comparable receipts. Slaughter cows gauging 1.00 lower overall, with no comparisons available for slaughter bulls due to limited comparable receipts, but a lower undertone was noted.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435–440 438 2 150.00–153.00 $151.51 $664 -1.83
475–495 483 5 140.00–155.00 $148.18 $716 -4.55
500–525 513 2 139.00–140.00 $139.49 $716 -3.84
555 555 1 147.00 $147.00 $816 +14.05
612–615 value added 613 3 133.50–135.00 $134.50 $824 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 123.00 $123.00 $301 +0.50
260–275 268 3 118.00–130.00 $125.58 $337 -1.92
330 thin fleshed 330 3 110.00 $110.00 $363 —
315–345 333 10 118.00–130.00 $123.18 $410 -0.27
355–395 370 5 117.00–126.00 $122.20 $452 -8.66
400–445 417 11 116.00–125.00 $121.59 $507 -0.83
460–492 479 10 115.00–125.00 $120.40 $577 +0.42
500–540 523 23 110.00–122.00 $116.07 $607 -0.43
555–595 576 8 109.00–120.00 $115.84 $667 +4.08
579 value added 579 11 126.50 $126.50 $732 —
605–640 614 9 107.00–113.00 $110.77 $680 +5.57
650 value added 650 16 122.50 $122.50 $796 +8.50
655–685 672 5 110.00–118.00 $112.56 $756 +6.97
703 703 3 97.00 $97.00 $682 —
770 fancy 770 2 108.00 $108.00 $832 —
905 905 1 95.00 $95.00 $860 —
1010 1010 1 86.00 $86.00 $869 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 147.50 $147.50 $361 —
250–275 263 2 140.00–152.50 $145.95 $384 -7.31
270 fancy 270 1 165.00 $165.00 $446 —
305 fancy 305 1 172.50 $172.50 $526 —
310–340 329 4 145.00–152.50 $149.44 $492 -18.56
355–382 373 3 144.00–152.50 $146.70 $547 +0.72
410–440 418 8 143.00–157.50 $146.45 $612 -0.12
455–490 463 5 140.00–146.00 $142.25 $659 +8.29
505–531 520 10 137.00–142.00 $139.12 $723 -3.86
550–585 571 6 128.00–130.00 $128.34 $733 +1.23
600–632 617 11 110.00–115.00 $112.53 $694 -3.39
688 value added 688 12 111.50 $111.50 $767 —
700–705 703 2 104.00–109.00 $106.49 $749 -2.51
780 780 1 105.00 $105.00 $819 -0.32
815 815 1 103.00 $103.00 $839 -1.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205 205 1 137.50 $137.50 $282 —
330 330 1 137.00 $137.00 $452 +2.00
385 385 1 138.00 $138.00 $531 +3.00
435 435 2 136.00 $136.00 $592 +7.23
455–490 473 2 126.00–130.00 $127.93 $605 —
615 615 1 104.50 $104.50 $643 -2.50
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 130.00 $130.00 $286 +5.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985 985 80-85% 1 67.00 $67.00 $660 —
1025 1025 80-85% 1 73.00 $73.00 $748 —
1050 1050 80-85% 1 59.50 $59.50 $625 —
1015–1340 1181 80-85% 8 60.00–67.00 $63.61 $751 +5.61
1225–1505 1377 80-85% 6 69.00–76.50 $72.33 $996 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130–1575 1368 75-80% 12 57.00–64.50 $60.36 $826 +6.90
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780 780 85-90% 1 52.00 $52.00 $406 —
905 905 85-90% 1 58.00 $58.00 $525 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1450–2065 1703 4 78.50–86.00 $81.84 $1,394 —
1680–1805 1747 3 90.00–95.00 $93.40 $1,632 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
870–965 918 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 600.00–610.00 $603.50
1125 1125 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 650.00 $650.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
920 920 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
870–1150 1013 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 800.00–950.00 $859.65
915–1110 1035 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 835.00–925.00 $870.72
970–1125 1036 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 975.00–1,000.00 $985.71
1070 1070 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 750.00 $750.00
965–1275 1138 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 800.00–925.00 $883.06
1200 1200 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 875.00 $875.00
1210 1210 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 700.00 $700.00
1165–1415 1312 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 760.00–925.00 $853.38
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
865 865 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 725.00 $725.00
920 920 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 750.00 $750.00
855–1250 985 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 725.00–800.00 $761.58
1030 1030 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 775.00 $775.00
1130 1130 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 775.00 $775.00
1250 1250 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 750.00 $750.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1015 1015 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 675.00 $675.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 950.00–1,025.00 $987.50 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,125.00 $1,125.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,125.00 $1,125.00 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,075.00 $1,075.00 —

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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.