Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, February 17, 2024

543 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $228.08/cwt -2.37 vs last sale · ≈ $1,516/hd at 665 lb · 24 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $295.04/cwt +10.28 vs last sale · ≈ $1,243/hd at 421 lb · 19 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $255.49/cwt +10.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,344/hd at 526 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 543 548 431
Feeder cattle 411 422 272
Slaughter cattle 125 116 92
Replacement cattle 7 10 67

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder heifers and bulls 4.00 to 5.00 higher overall, with no comparisons available for feeder steers due to limited comparable receipts, but a higher undertone was noted. Slaughter cows gauging 2.00 to 9.00 higher 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
405–435 418 4 300.00–310.00 $305.18 $1,276 +23.29
450–485 468 7 280.00–312.50 $289.65 $1,356 +9.90
510–520 515 2 257.50–259.00 $258.26 $1,330 -8.75
505–535 519 5 275.00–295.00 $285.30 $1,481 +18.29
550 550 1 278.00 $278.00 $1,529 +20.49
595 595 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,488 -7.51
620 value added 620 2 275.00 $275.00 $1,705 +12.00
600–640 621 7 248.00–267.50 $257.79 $1,601 +6.79
665 665 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,596 -1.43
663–690 value added 672 5 251.00–270.00 $259.20 $1,742 +3.20
725 value added 725 2 238.00 $238.00 $1,726 +0.47
797 value added 797 5 239.00 $239.00 $1,905 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–320 fancy 315 2 265.00–271.00 $268.05 $844 —
315–345 330 6 250.00–260.00 $255.91 $845 +1.43
350–380 value added 360 3 260.00–262.00 $260.70 $939 -4.98
350–395 372 9 240.00–258.00 $250.60 $932 +6.58
382 fancy 382 3 269.00 $269.00 $1,028 —
400–415 fancy 406 5 262.50–280.00 $271.41 $1,102 —
400–445 423 9 237.50–254.00 $245.66 $1,039 +4.07
425 425 1 217.50 $217.50 $924 -24.09
450–480 466 10 235.00–246.00 $240.40 $1,120 +8.00
495 495 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,114 -7.40
500–545 518 6 220.00–230.00 $223.62 $1,158 -1.90
515–520 fancy 518 2 240.00–245.00 $242.51 $1,256 —
550–595 567 6 207.50–215.00 $209.65 $1,189 -1.52
605–645 633 9 210.00–225.00 $220.13 $1,393 +7.48
653–663 value added 660 18 228.00–234.00 $232.02 $1,531 -2.52
660–683 679 6 212.50–217.00 $216.27 $1,468 +6.27
730 value added 730 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,460 —
750 value added 750 5 209.00 $209.00 $1,568 ±0.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–295 284 5 285.00–310.00 $299.64 $851 +12.14
310 310 2 311.00–332.50 $321.75 $997 +29.98
370–390 378 5 282.50–309.00 $295.79 $1,118 -3.96
410 fancy 410 1 318.00 $318.00 $1,304 —
405–445 422 18 272.00–306.00 $293.76 $1,240 +9.00
475–495 489 4 270.00–287.50 $279.40 $1,366 +22.78
492 fancy 492 3 300.00 $300.00 $1,476 +17.50
510–530 518 3 237.50–240.00 $239.17 $1,239 -8.96
505–545 528 12 245.00–267.50 $259.57 $1,371 +11.44
550–575 561 8 250.00–262.50 $255.71 $1,435 +15.36
570–590 582 3 227.00–235.00 $230.70 $1,343 +16.95
605–615 608 3 220.00–225.00 $222.50 $1,353 -11.56
605–640 625 3 235.00–249.00 $240.62 $1,504 +6.56
628 fancy 628 6 262.00 $262.00 $1,645 —
675–685 680 2 211.00–215.00 $212.99 $1,448 -11.83
705–735 722 5 187.50–192.50 $190.00 $1,372 —
755 755 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,397 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095 1095 80-85% 1 95.00 $95.00 $1,040 —
1010–1635 1239 80-85% 33 105.00–119.00 $111.43 $1,381 -4.72
1180–1540 1363 80-85% 9 121.00–132.00 $124.34 $1,695 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1660 1403 75-80% 3 95.00–101.00 $97.11 $1,362 —
1060–1625 1466 75-80% 23 105.00–118.00 $111.69 $1,637 —
1665–1725 1702 75-80% 3 120.00–123.00 $121.33 $2,065 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–1380 1049 85-90% 11 88.00–101.00 $95.34 $1,000 —
1035–1085 1060 85-90% 2 107.00–111.00 $109.05 $1,156 +20.42

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1490–1920 1618 5 123.00–133.00 $128.44 $2,078 -0.09
1630–2050 1840 2 135.00–139.00 $137.23 $2,525 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,200.00–1,400.00 $1,300.00
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,200.00–1,450.00 $1,341.67
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,450.00 $1,450.00

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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.