Cattle Market Pulse

Smith County Commission Co. Market Report

Carthage, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, August 29, 2026

428 head sold ·Official USDA report

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $325.88/cwt -31.07 vs last sale · ≈ $1,515/hd at 465 lb · 28 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $319.19/cwt -51.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,695/hd at 531 lb · 27 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $296.70/cwt -35.30 vs last sale · ≈ $1,730/hd at 583 lb · 26 head
Carthage, TN 5-weight heifers brought $305/cwt, $23/cwt below the TN average ($328) and $36/cwt under Dickson, TN ($341). TN 5-weight heifers are down $54 from their mid-July peak of $382. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 428 427 0
Feeder cattle 367 376 0
Slaughter cattle 61 51 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week Feeder Steers 20.00 to 25.00 lower on a light test; Feeder Heifers 18.00 to 25.00 lower with instances of 30.00 lower; Feeder Bulls 8.00 to 20.00 lower with; Slaughter Cows 7.00 to 9.00 lower; Slaughter Bulls lightly tested being 7.00 lower.

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
243 243 3 410.00 $410.00 $996 —
495 495 2 360.00–375.00 $367.50 $1,819 —
503–535 514 3 325.00–330.00 $326.74 $1,679 -50.76
573–574 574 6 317.50–338.00 $331.17 $1,901 -19.83
591 value added 591 11 342.00 $342.00 $2,021 —
634 value added 634 4 335.00 $335.00 $2,124 —
643 643 11 326.00 $326.00 $2,096 -23.66
665 665 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,995 -25.00
740 740 3 285.00 $285.00 $2,109 -15.00
750 value added 750 11 313.00 $313.00 $2,348 —
763 763 2 280.00 $280.00 $2,136 -20.00
820 820 1 250.00 $250.00 $2,050 -40.00
870 value added 870 2 287.50 $287.50 $2,501 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,221 —
395 395 1 250.00 $250.00 $988 —
470 470 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,528 -60.00
525 525 1 312.50 $312.50 $1,641 -55.00
588 588 2 272.50 $272.50 $1,602 —
640 640 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,632 -51.02

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358–378 370 5 350.00–360.00 $353.87 $1,309 -45.13
464–469 465 28 320.00–327.50 $325.88 $1,515 -31.07
512 value added 512 3 328.00 $328.00 $1,679 —
528 528 17 321.00 $321.00 $1,695 -21.50
555–593 583 26 283.00–310.00 $296.70 $1,730 -35.30
609 609 4 275.00 $275.00 $1,675 -52.14
662 662 3 242.50 $242.50 $1,605 —
662–677 667 14 260.00–275.00 $269.57 $1,798 —
759 759 7 240.00 $240.00 $1,822 -52.50
830 830 3 247.50 $247.50 $2,054 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
443 443 4 291.00 $291.00 $1,289 —
470–498 489 3 282.50–300.00 $294.39 $1,440 -5.61
520–545 537 3 265.00–272.50 $270.08 $1,450 -59.92
730 730 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,716 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485 485 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,091 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
448 448 19 375.00 $375.00 $1,680 -67.50
520–535 531 27 305.00–325.00 $319.19 $1,695 -51.81
583–585 584 15 307.50–327.50 $322.18 $1,882 -7.82
654 654 22 292.00 $292.00 $1,910 -20.50
726–749 743 19 250.00–265.00 $261.14 $1,940 -35.86
842 842 6 230.00 $230.00 $1,937 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
378 378 2 305.00 $305.00 $1,153 -55.00
400–423 415 3 325.00–350.00 $333.03 $1,382 —
460–490 466 5 225.00–325.00 $303.97 $1,417 -76.03
545 545 3 285.00 $285.00 $1,553 -31.45
575 575 2 280.00 $280.00 $1,610 -0.28
620–640 625 4 235.00–272.50 $251.74 $1,573 -38.26
672 672 3 260.00 $260.00 $1,747 -17.99
730 730 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,642 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
652 652 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,467 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1510 1398 75-80% 6 165.00–170.00 $167.49 $2,342 —
1285–1670 1467 75-80% 5 140.00–151.00 $145.52 $2,135 —
1285–1665 1509 75-80% 8 153.00–162.00 $156.98 $2,369 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1315 1205 80-85% 5 141.00–149.00 $146.31 $1,763 —
1195–1360 1266 80-85% 8 153.00–165.00 $158.10 $2,002 —
1300–1440 1344 80-85% 5 167.00–179.00 $172.70 $2,321 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1005 982 85-90% 3 135.00–142.00 $137.72 $1,352 -14.42
950–1120 1026 85-90% 4 125.00–130.00 $127.42 $1,307 —
1115–1320 1218 85-90% 2 150.00–155.00 $152.29 $1,855 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1615–1805 1710 2 220.00–225.00 $222.36 $3,802 —
1590–2180 1810 3 205.00–210.00 $207.30 $3,752 —

↑ 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.