Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, May 20, 2023

651 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $221.68/cwt +9.90 vs last sale · ≈ $1,043/hd at 470 lb · 21 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $207.66/cwt -5.49 vs last sale · ≈ $995/hd at 479 lb · 20 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $210.03/cwt +1.26 vs last sale · ≈ $893/hd at 425 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 651 740 576
Feeder cattle 482 518 433
Slaughter cattle 129 185 130
Replacement cattle 40 37 13

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder heifers measuring 2.00 to 3.00 lower overall, with feeder bulls 6.00 higher, and no comparisons available for feeder steers due to limited comparable receipts. Slaughter cows sharply higher overall with slaughter bulls mostly steady.

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
300 300 1 266.00 $266.00 $798 —
405–445 429 4 232.50–247.50 $238.23 $1,022 +11.70
465–475 468 3 217.50–225.00 $220.83 $1,033 -7.58
503–540 524 6 215.00–235.00 $224.45 $1,176 -3.94
555–595 575 6 211.00–222.00 $216.26 $1,243 -3.19
600 600 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,215 —
600–645 623 2 211.00–215.00 $212.93 $1,327 +0.35
660–695 681 5 196.00–207.00 $199.81 $1,361 -3.39
725 725 1 189.00 $189.00 $1,370 —
905 905 2 171.00 $171.00 $1,548 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 210.00 $210.00 $756 —
510–530 520 3 205.00–210.00 $206.97 $1,076 +5.97
875 875 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,479 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 value added 305 1 222.50 $222.50 $679 —
300–315 308 4 197.50–215.00 $205.38 $633 -5.72
315 315 1 190.00 $190.00 $598 -21.10
350–390 377 10 200.00–216.00 $210.66 $794 -1.40
400–445 420 14 197.00–216.00 $204.69 $860 +24.69
440 value added 440 5 225.00 $225.00 $990 —
450–497 479 20 199.00–217.00 $207.66 $995 +2.83
505–545 525 11 193.00–210.00 $201.73 $1,059 -3.67
525 value added 525 3 214.00 $214.00 $1,124 —
550 value added 550 2 214.00 $214.00 $1,177 —
557–595 572 12 179.00–198.00 $187.95 $1,075 -8.03
600–645 617 7 173.00–193.00 $180.94 $1,116 -8.01
650–665 658 2 181.00–188.00 $184.54 $1,214 -6.34
700 value added 700 2 188.50 $188.50 $1,320 —
705–715 710 2 160.00–170.00 $164.96 $1,171 —
750–757 755 4 159.00–170.00 $167.27 $1,263 —
777 value added 777 3 181.00 $181.00 $1,406 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–280 275 3 232.50–252.50 $246.08 $677 +22.11
300 value added 300 2 277.50 $277.50 $832 —
310–345 332 3 240.00–244.00 $242.11 $804 +19.44
355–397 381 15 220.00–237.00 $231.61 $882 +8.74
405–445 423 7 212.50–234.00 $222.17 $940 +4.51
420–430 fancy 425 2 240.00–242.50 $241.26 $1,025 +2.26
450–495 470 19 211.00–231.00 $219.61 $1,032 +39.61
450–495 fancy 473 2 238.00–245.00 $241.33 $1,141 —
505 fancy 505 1 238.00 $238.00 $1,202 —
500–545 527 17 209.00–226.00 $216.01 $1,138 +3.62
550–580 565 7 202.00–218.00 $210.26 $1,188 +1.26
607 fancy 607 3 217.00 $217.00 $1,317 +1.00
600–635 624 7 184.00–200.00 $190.88 $1,191 +6.22
660–670 665 2 193.00–200.00 $196.47 $1,307 +3.18
700–725 713 2 183.00–194.00 $188.40 $1,343 +21.81
755 755 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,284 +19.00
770 fancy 770 1 197.00 $197.00 $1,517 +4.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–345 325 3 210.00–220.00 $213.96 $695 +13.96
395 395 3 200.00–210.00 $203.33 $803 +3.33
450 450 1 204.00 $204.00 $918 —
555 555 1 166.00 $166.00 $921 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 207.00 $207.00 $911 —
500 500 1 198.00 $198.00 $990 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1165 1083 80-85% 2 91.00–94.00 $92.39 $1,001 —
885–1260 1107 80-85% 9 112.00–117.00 $114.96 $1,273 —
930–1380 1131 80-85% 22 96.00–111.00 $102.70 $1,162 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1160 1120 75-80% 4 92.00–96.00 $94.02 $1,053 —
870–1725 1390 75-80% 24 98.00–122.00 $111.99 $1,557 —
1445 1445 75-80% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,878 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830–1405 989 85-90% 21 84.00–100.00 $93.71 $927 +10.07
880–1070 990 85-90% 5 103.00–114.00 $109.08 $1,080 +25.44

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
865–1095 973 5 98.00–111.00 $103.52 $1,007 —
1105–1785 1530 11 117.00–129.00 $124.81 $1,910 —
1550–1855 1640 4 133.00–140.00 $136.65 $2,241 —

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Stock Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750 750 (<2 yrs)Open 1 760.00 $760.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000–1100 1033 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 975.00–1,175.00 $1,050.00
1050–1200 1133 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,075.00–1,125.00 $1,103.33
1000–1300 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 1,050.00–1,300.00 $1,141.00
1200 1200 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 900.00 $900.00

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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) 1 800.00 $800.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,125.00 $1,125.00 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 1,025.00–1,175.00 $1,110.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,275.00 $1,275.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00 —

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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.