Cattle Market Pulse

Knoxville Livestock Center Market Report

Knoxville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 27, 2024

594 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $246.39/cwt -21.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,178/hd at 478 lb · 36 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $243.51/cwt -15.98 vs last sale · ≈ $1,286/hd at 528 lb · 31 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $255.94/cwt -4.65 vs last sale · ≈ $1,326/hd at 518 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 594 715 855
Feeder cattle 514 598 702
Slaughter cattle 68 92 135
Replacement cattle 12 25 18

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder steers and bulls sharply lower overall, with exception of steers weighing over 650 lbs. 6.00 higher, and feeder heifers measuring 10.00 lower overall. Lower prices on feeder classes due, in part, to predominantly plainer-type offerings and recent ongoing downturn in the futures market. Slaughter cows gauging 3.00 to 9.00 lower overall with slaughter bulls 5.00 to 8.00 lower.

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
385 385 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,155 —
400–445 432 7 270.00–280.00 $273.26 $1,180 -35.14
447 447 2 267.50 $267.50 $1,196 —
457–472 466 5 270.00–280.00 $276.02 $1,286 -20.11
516–540 528 10 260.00–270.00 $265.95 $1,404 -25.90
550–590 563 14 245.00–275.00 $255.56 $1,439 -21.36
595 595 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,443 -34.42
614–627 620 10 240.00–262.50 $245.81 $1,524 -13.17
655 655 2 230.00 $230.00 $1,506 -18.83
656–680 661 15 245.00–252.50 $249.13 $1,647 +0.30
719 value added 719 9 235.00 $235.00 $1,690 -7.64
722–745 730 3 220.00–225.00 $221.70 $1,618 +17.26
796 796 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,791 -4.97
830 value added 830 4 217.50 $217.50 $1,805 —
895 895 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,871 -4.00
918 value added 918 5 210.00 $210.00 $1,928 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510–515 513 2 235.00–255.00 $245.05 $1,257 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 252.50 $252.50 $1,048 -19.22

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280–288 286 4 255.00 $255.00 $729 -5.13
330–340 335 4 257.50–260.00 $258.74 $867 —
340 340 1 237.50 $237.50 $808 —
360–395 380 4 257.50–270.00 $263.88 $1,003 -8.64
382 382 4 242.50 $242.50 $926 -30.02
410 410 2 235.00–238.00 $236.50 $970 -26.53
400–447 426 16 247.50–262.50 $253.96 $1,082 -9.07
455 455 3 205.00 $205.00 $933 -64.69
450–498 480 32 245.00–255.00 $250.70 $1,203 +10.70
480 480 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,116 -7.50
500–545 528 31 235.00–247.50 $243.51 $1,286 -15.98
550 550 1 227.50 $227.50 $1,251 -8.67
560–570 564 7 233.00–238.00 $235.28 $1,327 -0.89
600–631 619 14 222.50–232.50 $228.10 $1,412 -7.71
635 635 2 217.50 $217.50 $1,381 -18.31
761 value added 761 4 210.00 $210.00 $1,598 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
487 487 7 211.00 $211.00 $1,028 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 250.00 $250.00 $850 —
375 375 1 245.00 $245.00 $919 +5.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 300.00 $300.00 $960 —
352–395 364 10 277.50–312.50 $291.36 $1,061 +16.36
400–425 411 4 277.50–300.00 $291.31 $1,197 -15.54
435–445 440 2 250.00–260.00 $254.94 $1,122 -51.91
450–465 458 2 270.00–285.00 $277.62 $1,271 -20.90
450–480 470 6 250.00–255.00 $253.35 $1,191 -45.17
500–532 517 18 252.50–265.00 $256.69 $1,327 -3.90
535 535 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,297 -18.09
550 550 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,279 -30.80
550–598 577 12 240.00–252.50 $246.42 $1,422 -16.88
600–645 629 11 222.50–237.50 $227.24 $1,429 -30.28
655–681 673 8 217.50–222.50 $218.74 $1,472 -0.27
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1145 1145 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 1,975.00 $1,975.00 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,103 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1380 1179 80-85% 17 130.00–144.00 $135.53 $1,598 -0.40
1275 1275 80-85% 1 127.00 $127.00 $1,619 -16.89
1255–1305 1280 80-85% 2 145.00–146.00 $145.49 $1,862 +1.60
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1290 1253 75-80% 2 148.00–149.00 $148.49 $1,861 —
1190–1525 1356 75-80% 9 133.00–146.00 $138.82 $1,882 —
1375–1420 1398 75-80% 2 126.00–130.00 $127.97 $1,789 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
865 865 85-90% 1 115.00 $115.00 $995 —
890–1175 1039 85-90% 9 118.00–135.00 $123.73 $1,286 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1620–1910 1781 6 158.00–169.00 $163.12 $2,905 -8.18
2085 2085 1 152.00 $152.00 $3,169 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1035 1035 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00
1025–1085 1055 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,350.00–1,390.00 $1,369.43
1230–1430 1330 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,000.00–2,075.00 $2,034.68

↑ Back to top

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 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.