Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, December 16, 2023

597 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $219.87/cwt +24.76 vs last sale · ≈ $915/hd at 416 lb · 24 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $208.51/cwt +22.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,182/hd at 567 lb · 22 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $215.54/cwt +24.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,101/hd at 511 lb · 21 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 597 535 360
Feeder cattle 463 367 242
Slaughter cattle 120 128 107
Replacement cattle 14 40 11

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder heifers sharply higher overall, with feeder bulls weighing up to 550 lbs. sharply higher and those weighing over 550 lbs. mostly steady. No comparisons available for feeder steers due to limited comparable receipts from last week's sale. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher with slaughter bulls 1.00 to 3.00 higher.

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
385 385 1 262.00 $262.00 $1,009 —
405–439 434 13 248.00–267.50 $260.42 $1,130 +38.42
450–490 466 4 238.00–249.00 $242.36 $1,129 -0.14
510 fancy 510 1 252.50 $252.50 $1,288 —
510–528 521 9 230.00–242.50 $236.61 $1,233 +1.69
573–590 580 5 217.00–231.00 $227.95 $1,322 +14.33
630 630 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,323 +2.39
620–645 value added 633 4 215.00–223.00 $218.92 $1,386 —
665–670 value added 668 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,436 —
710 710 1 196.00 $196.00 $1,392 +6.00
725 value added 725 2 202.00 $202.00 $1,464 —
795 value added 795 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,590 —
808–838 value added 818 6 193.00–203.00 $199.59 $1,633 —
920 920 1 186.00 $186.00 $1,711 —
965 965 1 187.00 $187.00 $1,805 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–290 280 2 207.50–217.50 $212.32 $594 +22.32
305–345 326 7 200.00–225.00 $210.80 $687 +21.73
355–395 379 7 200.00–216.00 $207.79 $788 +17.76
402–435 value added 407 7 227.50–234.00 $233.01 $948 —
405–435 420 17 202.00–222.00 $214.46 $901 +19.35
457 value added 457 10 229.50 $229.50 $1,049 —
460–495 479 9 201.00–222.50 $212.10 $1,016 +18.00
501–525 value added 508 14 216.00–230.00 $225.17 $1,144 —
500–535 516 7 189.00–209.00 $196.29 $1,013 +5.27
552–572 value added 565 16 208.00–214.00 $211.80 $1,197 —
555–585 571 6 188.00–205.00 $199.75 $1,141 +13.90
603–625 607 7 180.00–196.00 $191.64 $1,163 +12.46
637 value added 637 5 204.50 $204.50 $1,303 +22.50
650–655 value added 653 7 197.00–198.00 $197.43 $1,289 —
650–665 658 2 180.00–189.00 $184.55 $1,214 +17.07
710 710 1 173.00 $173.00 $1,228 —
760–770 765 2 170.00–177.50 $173.77 $1,329 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–495 480 2 190.00 $190.00 $912 +8.76

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–275 270 2 227.50–232.50 $230.05 $621 —
365–379 376 9 240.00–261.00 $255.00 $959 +41.07
400–445 422 13 233.00–250.00 $243.88 $1,029 +11.17
460 fancy 460 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,196 +12.50
453–485 462 8 221.00–242.50 $237.03 $1,095 +11.41
505–535 516 5 217.50–232.50 $226.34 $1,168 +6.71
555–590 583 7 196.00–210.00 $205.21 $1,196 -0.51
605–615 610 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,220 +12.42
650–695 677 5 170.00–185.00 $178.40 $1,208 -5.43
735–740 738 2 170.00–185.00 $177.47 $1,310 +0.50
760–775 771 4 180.00–190.00 $186.28 $1,436 +36.28
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530–535 533 2 202.50–206.00 $204.26 $1,089 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1185 1155 80-85% 3 76.00–81.00 $79.01 $913 -1.58
1070–1325 1176 80-85% 6 98.00–104.00 $100.87 $1,186 +20.28
965–1505 1197 80-85% 26 83.00–97.00 $90.52 $1,084 +9.93
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1625 1395 75-80% 14 85.00–101.00 $93.46 $1,304 —
1340–1520 1422 75-80% 3 80.00–82.00 $81.37 $1,157 —
1475–1720 1576 75-80% 5 103.00–109.00 $105.31 $1,660 +4.28
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1370 1046 85-90% 11 75.00–88.00 $81.42 $852 —
995–1115 1055 85-90% 2 90.00 $90.00 $950 +8.79
910–1220 1062 85-90% 6 65.00–74.00 $71.04 $754 -10.17

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1265 1208 4 98.00–113.00 $107.47 $1,298 —
1470–2020 1735 8 115.00–125.00 $119.32 $2,070 —
1675–2130 1903 2 127.00–129.00 $127.88 $2,434 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950 950 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 900.00–930.00 $915.00
1000–1150 1075 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,025.00–1,225.00 $1,125.00
1300 1300 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750–900 825 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 900.00 $900.00
850 850 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00
900 900 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 825.00 $825.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00

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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
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,325.00–1,500.00 $1,412.50 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,575.00 $1,575.00 —

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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.