Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, May 6, 2023

922 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Volunteer Stockyards report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $206.62/cwt +11.98 vs last sale · ≈ $976/hd at 473 lb · 34 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $214.14/cwt +5.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,115/hd at 521 lb · 32 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $196.56/cwt +14.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,215/hd at 618 lb · 28 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 922 706 781
Feeder cattle 702 497 620
Slaughter cattle 181 174 141
Replacement cattle 39 35 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder heifers sharply higher overall, with feeder bulls 3.00 higher, and no comparisons available for feeder steers due to limited comparable receipts, however, a higher undertone was noted. Slaughter cows and bulls steady to 1.00 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
270 270 1 220.00 $220.00 $594 —
315–345 330 2 220.00–230.00 $224.77 $742 —
355 value added 355 1 250.00 $250.00 $888 —
360 360 2 242.50 $242.50 $873 +4.50
405–448 435 4 223.00–241.00 $230.34 $1,002 -0.58
435 435 1 195.00 $195.00 $848 -35.92
450–485 465 6 220.00–241.00 $233.42 $1,085 +8.75
515 value added 515 1 232.00 $232.00 $1,195 —
505–545 523 7 208.00–227.00 $219.31 $1,147 +19.31
560–590 581 4 218.00–223.00 $220.72 $1,282 +13.05
599 value added 599 21 232.50 $232.50 $1,393 —
614–630 617 5 228.00 $228.00 $1,407 +33.83
640 640 1 203.00 $203.00 $1,299 +8.83
660 660 2 203.00–204.00 $203.50 $1,343 +2.50
865 865 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,462 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 215.00 $215.00 $903 —
620 value added 620 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,352 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 202.50 $202.50 $597 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 172.50 $172.50 $552 -24.59
300–345 321 5 197.50–209.00 $202.73 $651 +5.64
355 fancy 355 1 227.50 $227.50 $808 —
350–398 389 17 200.00–220.00 $211.58 $823 +12.21
400 400 1 192.50 $192.50 $770 +0.75
405–445 425 22 196.00–216.00 $205.66 $874 +13.91
455 455 1 180.00 $180.00 $819 +15.00
459–472 value added 464 8 215.00–217.00 $216.24 $1,003 —
455–495 476 25 194.00–213.00 $204.61 $974 +39.61
505–545 521 21 198.00–211.00 $204.96 $1,068 +17.69
565–588 574 13 188.00–207.00 $198.21 $1,138 +11.87
608 value added 608 8 203.00 $203.00 $1,234 —
600–630 621 19 184.00–201.00 $195.24 $1,212 +13.02
645 645 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,096 -12.22
673 value added 673 13 213.00 $213.00 $1,433 —
665–695 675 6 184.00–197.00 $190.58 $1,286 +9.59
710–743 726 6 175.50–188.00 $180.12 $1,308 +17.13
770–788 787 12 166.00–168.00 $167.84 $1,321 +13.84
835 835 1 153.00 $153.00 $1,278 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–230 225 2 222.50–237.50 $229.83 $517 —
255–295 277 3 227.50–257.50 $247.44 $685 +12.37
330–345 338 2 220.00–230.00 $225.11 $761 +7.63
355–395 385 9 210.00–240.00 $220.82 $850 +20.82
415 fancy 415 1 248.00 $248.00 $1,029 —
400–445 423 17 210.00–234.00 $221.21 $936 +3.63
440 440 1 195.00 $195.00 $858 -22.58
465 fancy 465 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,081 -6.50
453–495 473 22 210.00–225.00 $216.44 $1,024 +0.91
510 fancy 510 1 226.00 $226.00 $1,153 +1.00
500–545 521 31 200.00–222.00 $213.76 $1,114 +6.28
550–595 567 16 187.50–215.00 $200.27 $1,136 -15.97
565–575 570 2 172.00–186.00 $179.06 $1,021 -37.18
605 value added 605 2 219.00–220.00 $219.50 $1,328 —
600–645 619 10 188.00–215.00 $200.86 $1,243 +11.96
670–695 678 3 175.00–186.00 $178.62 $1,211 -5.87
715 715 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,187 -19.00
735 value added 735 3 170.00 $170.00 $1,250 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 2 200.00 $200.00 $700 -0.33
415–440 422 5 200.00–205.00 $201.19 $849 —
465 465 1 197.50 $197.50 $918 —
520 520 1 182.50 $182.50 $949 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 208.00 $208.00 $697 —
510–540 525 2 186.00–190.00 $187.94 $987 —
745 745 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,118 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1385 1099 80-85% 33 86.00–97.00 $90.96 $1,000 —
1065–1260 1153 80-85% 7 99.00–107.00 $101.89 $1,175 +10.86
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830 830 85-90% 1 99.00 $99.00 $822 —
800–1145 933 85-90% 6 63.00–75.00 $70.33 $656 —
920–1230 1031 85-90% 15 78.00–88.00 $84.12 $867 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200–1605 1341 75-80% 17 88.00–99.00 $94.67 $1,270 —
1320–1435 1387 75-80% 3 102.00–103.00 $102.34 $1,419 +9.46

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1210 1152 6 93.00–103.00 $98.55 $1,135 —
1315–1360 1338 2 104.00–108.00 $105.97 $1,418 —
1405–1695 1569 5 128.00–136.00 $130.23 $2,043 —
1285–2210 1790 12 115.00–127.00 $122.23 $2,188 —
2385 2385 1 112.00 $112.00 $2,671 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,075.00 $1,075.00
1000–1300 1125 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 875.00–1,075.00 $946.25
1000–1350 1188 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 1,025.00–1,220.00 $1,114.38
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,075.00–1,150.00 $1,112.50

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Bred Heifers

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750 750 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 750.00 $750.00
750–800 775 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 850.00–875.00 $862.50
750–800 775 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 750.00–825.00 $787.50

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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 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00 —

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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.