Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, September 16, 2023

756 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $201.40/cwt -18.85 vs last sale · ≈ $1,048/hd at 520 lb · 29 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $209.81/cwt -9.14 vs last sale · ≈ $893/hd at 426 lb · 25 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $205.94/cwt -16.14 vs last sale · ≈ $959/hd at 466 lb · 23 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 756 789 801
Feeder cattle 542 558 566
Slaughter cattle 194 218 228
Replacement cattle 20 13 7

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder steers measuring 4.00 lower, with feeder heifers sharply lower overall, and feeder bulls 7.00 lower. Slaughter cows gauging 1.00 to 4.00 lower 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
275–295 290 4 258.00–270.00 $267.16 $775 —
305–345 319 5 250.00–276.00 $263.35 $840 +6.58
402–436 421 7 230.00–256.00 $240.63 $1,013 +5.67
450–475 459 4 220.00–238.00 $227.12 $1,042 -8.50
500–545 529 19 219.00–229.00 $225.20 $1,191 -8.88
580–590 585 2 216.00–219.00 $217.51 $1,272 -16.37
617–620 617 8 213.00–216.00 $215.62 $1,330 -9.43
740 740 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,591 —
785 785 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,570 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–295 277 7 198.00–212.50 $205.09 $568 -14.07
305–345 fancy 325 2 232.50–235.00 $233.83 $760 —
320–340 328 7 206.00–228.00 $214.81 $705 -13.37
376 value added 376 8 236.00 $236.00 $887 —
350–395 379 13 200.00–218.00 $207.42 $786 -17.72
385 fancy 385 1 225.00 $225.00 $866 —
420 fancy 420 1 239.00 $239.00 $1,004 —
420 420 1 192.00 $192.00 $806 -26.95
405–448 426 23 199.00–220.00 $209.32 $892 -9.63
460 fancy 460 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,012 —
450–490 466 22 195.00–216.00 $205.30 $957 -11.59
500 fancy 500 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,075 —
500–545 521 28 191.00–211.00 $200.91 $1,047 -13.09
575 fancy 575 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,242 -6.50
550–595 576 14 195.00–209.00 $204.29 $1,177 -2.89
605–645 622 12 185.00–205.00 $192.92 $1,200 -15.75
650–677 667 5 182.00–196.00 $190.91 $1,273 +13.41
700–730 709 5 180.00–193.00 $188.71 $1,338 +17.71

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200–230 215 2 220.00–247.50 $232.79 $500 —
250–295 273 2 227.50–230.00 $228.85 $625 -4.22
300–305 303 2 237.50–245.00 $241.22 $731 -0.16
365–385 373 3 222.50–230.00 $227.42 $848 -4.27
400–445 421 14 210.00–226.00 $217.88 $917 -9.99
450–495 478 13 207.00–218.00 $211.68 $1,012 -9.70
500–535 512 16 200.00–210.00 $205.38 $1,052 -17.80
553–595 567 12 200.00–210.00 $204.38 $1,159 -15.77
600–643 626 6 191.00–200.00 $196.13 $1,228 —
650–690 672 6 162.50–188.00 $173.81 $1,168 —
720–740 725 4 160.00–177.00 $170.92 $1,239 —
750–760 755 2 148.00–155.00 $151.52 $1,144 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1400 1105 80-85% 49 97.00–114.00 $106.26 $1,174 -3.23
1180 1180 80-85% 1 95.00 $95.00 $1,121 —
1090–1400 1280 80-85% 8 115.00–126.00 $120.00 $1,536 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290–1385 1338 75-80% 2 98.00–100.00 $99.04 $1,325 —
1385 1385 75-80% 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,676 +6.77
1100–1660 1434 75-80% 28 104.00–118.00 $111.48 $1,599 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–855 835 85-90% 2 85.00 $85.00 $710 —
760–1135 955 85-90% 25 89.00–100.00 $94.26 $900 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305–2435 1751 15 123.00–133.00 $129.73 $2,272 —
1590–1900 1795 4 136.00–141.00 $137.92 $2,476 —
2400 2400 1 121.00 $121.00 $2,904 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000 1000 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00
1150–1200 1175 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,325.00–1,350.00 $1,337.50
1100–1300 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,350.00–1,400.00 $1,375.00
1500 1500 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00

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Bred Heifers

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00

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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
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,050.00 $2,050.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,450.00–1,825.00 $1,637.50 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00 —

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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 1,325.00 $1,325.00 —

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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.