Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, August 12, 2023

611 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $238.39/cwt +20.54 vs last sale · ≈ $1,149/hd at 482 lb · 24 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $217.65/cwt +6.36 vs last sale · ≈ $819/hd at 376 lb · 24 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $214.05/cwt +3.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,017/hd at 475 lb · 18 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 611 610 454
Feeder cattle 439 413 320
Slaughter cattle 150 189 123
Replacement cattle 22 8 11

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder heifers 3.00 higher overall with feeder bulls sharply higher, due in part to increased buyer activity. No comparisons available for feeder steers due to limited comparable receipts, however, a higher undertone was noted. Regarding slaughter classes- breaker and boning cows and slaughter bulls steady to 2.00 higher with lean cows 1.00 to 4.00 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
310–340 325 2 240.00–242.50 $241.19 $784 —
378 378 3 242.50 $242.50 $917 -17.50
425 425 3 237.50–262.50 $245.83 $1,045 +2.98
485 485 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,091 +7.00
485 485 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,212 +32.00
500 fancy 500 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,300 —
505–545 529 12 232.50–255.00 $242.67 $1,284 +5.05
560–583 571 5 235.00–240.00 $237.70 $1,357 +3.01
610 610 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,403 +4.04
668 668 2 219.00 $219.00 $1,463 —
670–695 676 5 228.00–236.00 $233.76 $1,580 —
775–780 778 2 211.00–221.00 $216.02 $1,681 +14.02
800 800 1 206.00 $206.00 $1,648 +14.00
885 885 1 207.00 $207.00 $1,832 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 217.50 $217.50 $696 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285–290 287 3 212.50–222.50 $215.87 $620 —
310–345 329 8 212.50–228.00 $218.93 $720 +12.07
355–393 375 22 210.00–222.50 $216.71 $813 +5.42
390 fancy 390 2 228.00 $228.00 $889 —
405–448 422 10 207.50–221.00 $214.02 $903 -1.12
450–495 475 18 205.00–223.00 $214.05 $1,017 +4.04
500–535 516 11 199.00–219.00 $206.40 $1,065 -0.98
560–565 564 5 208.00–220.00 $216.80 $1,223 +11.58
605 605 1 186.00 $186.00 $1,125 -14.35
600–632 618 7 190.00–208.00 $198.17 $1,225 -2.18
700–720 712 3 179.00–182.00 $181.00 $1,289 —
725 725 1 171.00 $171.00 $1,240 —
760 760 1 173.00 $173.00 $1,315 +4.97
865 865 1 174.00 $174.00 $1,505 +10.55

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–345 323 4 237.50–257.50 $244.20 $789 +16.89
330 330 1 232.50 $232.50 $767 +5.19
365–390 374 4 242.50–260.00 $250.66 $937 +21.43
375 fancy 375 1 277.50 $277.50 $1,041 —
409 409 4 200.00 $200.00 $818 -24.44
405–440 419 6 227.50–247.50 $237.90 $997 +13.46
424–445 fancy 428 6 260.00–289.00 $276.27 $1,182 —
465–475 fancy 470 2 252.50–262.50 $257.55 $1,210 +26.24
460–495 483 22 222.00–246.00 $236.65 $1,143 +36.65
510 fancy 510 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,300 —
505–540 521 12 222.00–245.00 $238.07 $1,240 +25.36
550–590 565 12 210.00–240.00 $225.68 $1,275 +6.00
615 fancy 615 1 229.00 $229.00 $1,408 —
610–640 629 6 203.00–212.00 $209.08 $1,315 -3.37
650–670 658 3 207.00–222.00 $212.93 $1,401 +32.93
700–730 713 3 190.00–196.00 $193.03 $1,376 +13.67
755 755 1 188.00 $188.00 $1,419 +9.47
860 860 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,565 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
840–1310 1117 80-85% 3 91.00–96.00 $94.39 $1,054 —
955–1560 1124 80-85% 34 102.00–117.00 $110.09 $1,237 —
915–1410 1156 80-85% 10 118.00–129.00 $122.18 $1,412 +12.17
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250–1300 1275 75-80% 2 93.00–96.00 $94.53 $1,205 —
1105–1960 1385 75-80% 17 105.00–119.00 $112.54 $1,559 —
1560 1560 75-80% 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,888 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–960 910 85-90% 2 82.00–85.00 $83.42 $759 —
810–1170 929 85-90% 15 89.00–106.00 $95.40 $886 —
955–1015 985 85-90% 2 110.00–116.00 $113.09 $1,114 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1315 1195 2 113.00–120.00 $116.15 $1,388 —
1460–1785 1623 2 141.00–149.00 $145.40 $2,360 —
1335–2080 1704 19 124.00–138.00 $133.17 $2,269 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 825.00 $825.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,475.00 $1,475.00

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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
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,125.00 $2,125.00 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 1,375.00–1,700.00 $1,516.67 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,450.00–1,475.00 $1,462.50 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,630.00 $1,630.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,450.00 $1,450.00 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,050.00 $2,050.00 —
— — (<2 yrs)Open 1 1,250.00 $1,250.00 —

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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.