Cattle Market Pulse

Tennessee Daily Cattle Auction Summary

Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, September 21, 2021

995 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Tennessee Daily Cattle Auction Summary report →

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $134.58/cwt +0.53 vs last sale · ≈ $702/hd at 522 lb · 54 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.44/cwt -0.85 vs last sale · ≈ $729/hd at 572 lb · 48 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $135.09/cwt -1.07 vs last sale · ≈ $635/hd at 470 lb · 38 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 995 1,582 0
Feeder cattle 819 1,380 0
Slaughter cattle 117 154 0
Replacement cattle 59 48 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Knoxville - Compared to last week, feeder steers measuring 2.00 to 3.00 higher overall with heifers 6.00 lower with lighter demand noted, and feeder bulls 2.00 lower. Regarding slaughter classes- breaker and boning cows 1.00 to 2.00 higher and lean cows 3.00 to 4.00 lower, and bulls 4.00 to 5.00 lower. Pulaski - Compared to the same sale two weeks ago, Slaughter cows 4.00 lower. Bulls not well established. Steers under 550 lbs 2.00 to 9.00 lower, over 550 lbs steady to 2.00 lower. Heifers 1.00 to 5.00 lower. Bulls steady to 5.00 lower. Quality fair to good. Demand moderate to weak.

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
335 335 1 170.00 $170.00 $570 -8.51
365–390 375 3 159.00–178.00 $168.12 $630 -1.62
405–425 fancy 415 2 174.00–175.00 $174.51 $724 —
400–440 421 15 145.00–165.00 $157.58 $663 -7.92
455–485 470 3 148.00–162.50 $157.51 $740 +1.33
500–540 518 25 137.00–162.50 $156.05 $808 +5.06
565–595 580 9 135.00–150.00 $144.20 $836 -3.38
590 value added 590 2 145.00 $145.00 $856 -9.00
602–615 value added 610 5 140.00–151.00 $144.34 $880 —
600–645 614 26 129.00–147.50 $138.21 $849 -5.17
650–690 665 5 127.00–140.00 $136.44 $907 -0.55
700–745 717 18 130.00–143.50 $140.64 $1,008 +5.25
755 value added 755 2 141.50 $141.50 $1,068 +3.50
783–792 788 8 130.00 $130.00 $1,024 -6.09
812 value added 812 2 140.00 $140.00 $1,137 —
810–840 825 2 123.00–137.50 $130.12 $1,073 —
920 920 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,113 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 2 155.00–157.50 $156.25 $438 +6.57
305–340 316 4 150.00–167.50 $156.06 $493 -9.24
375 375 2 147.50–157.50 $152.50 $572 +0.94
435 435 1 137.50 $137.50 $598 -26.50
475 475 1 143.00 $143.00 $679 -0.65
500–535 518 2 123.00–135.00 $128.80 $667 -7.86
580–595 588 2 136.00–137.50 $136.74 $804 -1.61
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 375 2 135.00–139.00 $136.92 $513 —
425 425 1 145.00 $145.00 $616 —
535 535 1 119.00 $119.00 $637 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 140.00 $140.00 $343 —
310 310 1 135.00 $135.00 $418 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 142.00 $142.00 $490 +1.47
355–395 375 11 133.00–145.00 $139.37 $523 +1.04
400–423 412 16 133.00–145.00 $137.43 $566 +0.98
450 450 1 120.00 $120.00 $540 -10.00
464 value added 464 7 145.50 $145.50 $675 —
450–493 472 30 127.00–138.00 $133.17 $629 +3.17
500–540 520 29 119.00–137.00 $131.10 $682 -0.54
520–525 522 3 113.00–116.00 $114.99 $600 -16.65
510–528 value added 524 22 140.00–142.50 $141.83 $743 +1.21
560–575 568 2 119.00–121.00 $119.99 $682 -0.01
550–595 572 44 115.00–136.00 $128.52 $735 +1.31
570–590 580 2 109.00–113.00 $111.03 $644 -16.18
600–635 611 5 104.00–115.00 $110.40 $675 -14.67
600–635 615 15 116.00–126.00 $122.78 $755 -2.29
633 value added 633 9 135.00 $135.00 $855 —
665–698 687 5 116.00–122.50 $118.05 $811 -4.67
695 value added 695 2 131.50 $131.50 $914 -2.50
695 695 1 124.00 $124.00 $862 +1.28
700 700 1 120.00 $120.00 $840 +0.12
705–745 724 4 110.00–118.00 $112.81 $817 -7.07
765 765 1 105.00 $105.00 $803 -6.67
765–775 770 2 107.00–110.00 $108.51 $836 -3.16
823–835 827 6 105.00–111.50 $109.31 $904 +5.31
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–245 228 2 125.00–130.00 $127.31 $290 —
270–280 275 2 121.00–127.50 $124.31 $342 -3.19
370–375 373 2 130.00–131.00 $130.50 $487 -6.08
400–440 429 7 120.00–135.00 $127.35 $546 -8.15
535–545 540 2 110.00–120.00 $115.05 $621 -6.40
550 550 1 111.00 $111.00 $610 -11.36
645 645 1 113.00 $113.00 $729 +3.48
750 750 1 110.00 $110.00 $825 +5.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–490 467 3 111.00–125.00 $115.90 $541 -14.10
545 545 1 100.00 $100.00 $545 —
560 560 1 114.00 $114.00 $638 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 115.00 $115.00 $512 —
520 520 2 106.00 $106.00 $551 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 175.00 $175.00 $595 —
370–395 382 6 154.00–167.50 $165.20 $631 +15.73
400–445 421 12 145.00–157.50 $151.17 $636 +1.57
455 fancy 455 1 157.50 $157.50 $717 —
450–490 468 12 140.00–155.00 $148.09 $693 +0.88
500–545 514 19 133.00–145.00 $140.00 $720 +5.41
550–590 569 11 125.00–144.00 $135.53 $771 +3.73
600–640 618 14 115.00–132.50 $127.22 $786 -2.46
655–695 675 10 116.00–130.00 $122.31 $826 -4.13
700–747 725 6 110.00–115.00 $112.12 $813 -6.21
760–773 769 5 110.00 $110.00 $846 -6.07
800–830 817 3 100.00–111.00 $104.99 $858 -5.01
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 140.00 $140.00 $574 -7.58
485–497 493 3 132.00–132.50 $132.16 $652 -6.13
505–545 520 9 118.00–131.00 $123.81 $644 +7.81
550–575 566 4 113.00–123.00 $117.97 $668 -11.16
610–640 623 5 104.00–119.00 $112.59 $701 -6.92
670 670 1 108.00 $108.00 $724 -10.36
720–730 728 4 100.00–117.00 $104.21 $759 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1200–1400 1300 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 4 1,450.00–2,000.00 $1,743.75 —
1300–1500 1400 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 1,800.00–2,300.00 $2,050.00 —
1345–1540 1443 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 1,225.00–1,650.00 $1,451.86 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515–545 533 4 115.00–121.00 $117.71 $627 -12.29
610 610 1 115.00 $115.00 $702 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1365 1202 80-85% 5 74.00–75.00 $74.53 $896 +11.69
970–1490 1239 80-85% 19 57.00–73.00 $65.16 $807 +2.32
1035–1590 1253 80-85% 10 53.00–60.00 $56.96 $714 +0.06
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320 1320 75-80% 1 77.50 $77.50 $1,023 —
1000–1735 1361 75-80% 16 62.00–71.50 $66.06 $899 —
1420–1605 1513 75-80% 2 58.00–60.00 $58.94 $892 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
845–1030 903 85-90% 4 44.00–53.00 $47.75 $431 +2.34
895–1240 1090 85-90% 11 51.00–64.00 $57.01 $621 -6.49

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230 1230 1 80.00 $80.00 $984 —
1455–2260 1770 11 88.00–98.00 $92.12 $1,631 —
1680–2110 1883 6 98.00–105.00 $101.72 $1,915 -0.60
2310 2310 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,964 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
925–1265 1095 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 700.00–830.00 $775.09
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
775 775 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 590.00 $590.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1080 1080 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 950.00 $950.00
1080 1080 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 950.00 $950.00
1100–1140 1120 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 850.00–930.00 $889.29
1145 1145 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 810.00 $810.00
1235 1235 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 790.00 $790.00
1185–1495 1307 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 900.00–1,030.00 $986.89
1370 1370 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 780.00 $780.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 1020 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 700.00 $700.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
965 965 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
895 895 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 860.00 $860.00
940 940 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 825.00 $825.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
790 790 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 700.00 $700.00

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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
890–900 895 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 1,080.00 $1,080.00 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1080 1080 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 940.00 $940.00 —

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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.