Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, September 9, 2023

789 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $222.08/cwt +4.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,038/hd at 467 lb · 39 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $218.95/cwt -0.05 vs last sale · ≈ $928/hd at 424 lb · 25 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $220.25/cwt +5.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,163/hd at 528 lb · 24 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 789 452 0
Feeder cattle 558 257 0
Slaughter cattle 218 143 0
Replacement cattle 13 52 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder steers measuring 5.00 lower, with feeder heifers unevenly steady, and feeder bulls weighing up to 450 lbs. sharply lower and those weighing over 450 lbs. 4.00 higher. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 lower with slaughter bulls holding 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
338–348 342 7 249.00–262.50 $256.77 $878 —
353–360 356 5 247.50–253.00 $250.10 $890 —
375 375 1 240.00 $240.00 $900 —
405–445 419 4 225.00–247.50 $234.96 $984 +2.81
450–495 471 8 225.00–248.00 $235.62 $1,110 -8.68
505–543 521 10 221.00–243.00 $234.08 $1,220 -10.16
560–583 577 4 221.00–238.00 $233.88 $1,349 -2.85
605–633 623 8 220.50–235.00 $225.05 $1,402 —
655–675 656 14 228.00–240.50 $239.58 $1,572 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–290 283 8 212.50–230.00 $219.16 $620 —
300–335 320 10 215.00–234.00 $228.18 $730 +22.70
355–395 372 17 212.00–232.50 $225.14 $838 +6.13
400–445 424 25 208.00–229.00 $218.95 $928 -0.05
450–456 value added 454 13 230.00–234.00 $232.47 $1,055 —
450–495 474 26 207.00–228.00 $216.89 $1,028 -0.92
515 value added 515 10 229.00 $229.00 $1,179 —
520–548 537 14 207.50–217.00 $214.00 $1,149 -0.59
560 fancy 560 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,246 —
550–595 573 14 200.00–217.00 $207.18 $1,187 -15.56
604–645 612 13 198.00–218.00 $208.67 $1,277 +23.67
650–660 656 4 174.00–185.00 $177.50 $1,164 -6.50
740 740 1 171.00 $171.00 $1,265 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–295 271 6 225.00–242.50 $233.07 $632 —
300–345 320 6 235.00–250.00 $241.38 $772 -13.62
355–390 370 8 224.00–240.00 $231.69 $857 -15.81
400–448 427 14 219.00–235.00 $227.87 $973 -14.78
450–490 474 15 210.00–230.00 $221.38 $1,049 +0.01
475 fancy 475 3 239.00 $239.00 $1,135 —
500–540 528 10 210.00–230.00 $223.18 $1,178 +12.14
555–598 578 8 207.00–227.50 $220.15 $1,272 +11.87

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210 1210 75-80% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,210 —
1125–1730 1365 75-80% 51 107.00–121.00 $114.23 $1,559 —
1620–1660 1640 75-80% 2 123.00–126.00 $124.48 $2,041 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1370 1126 80-85% 39 101.00–116.00 $109.49 $1,233 —
940–1440 1216 80-85% 4 119.00–124.00 $121.51 $1,478 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835–1215 1003 85-90% 21 89.00–103.00 $95.79 $961 —
905–1105 1005 85-90% 2 87.00 $87.00 $874 —
1085 1085 85-90% 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,139 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1610–1725 1670 3 137.00 $137.00 $2,288 +6.02
1240–2085 1688 16 124.00–135.00 $129.37 $2,184 -1.61

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,275.00 $1,275.00
1000 1000 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00
1075–1235 1155 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,175.00–1,300.00 $1,237.50

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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 2,000.00 $2,000.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 1,400.00–1,450.00 $1,425.00 —

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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.