Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, March 16, 2024

449 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $250.09/cwt +2.64 vs last sale · ≈ $1,195/hd at 478 lb · 15 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $243.86/cwt -1.70 vs last sale · ≈ $1,264/hd at 518 lb · 12 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $288.90/cwt +19.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,078/hd at 373 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 449 424 382
Feeder cattle 274 301 261
Slaughter cattle 155 62 99
Replacement cattle 20 61 22

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 7.00 to 8.00 higher overall with slaughter bulls 10.00 higher. No comparisons available for feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts.

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
325 325 1 292.50 $292.50 $951 —
395 395 2 300.00 $300.00 $1,185 —
405–420 413 2 320.00–332.50 $326.36 $1,348 +11.21
455–470 461 6 300.00–317.50 $306.86 $1,415 +24.36
518 value added 518 2 306.00 $306.00 $1,585 —
510–545 528 2 276.00–292.50 $283.98 $1,499 -2.08
560–595 578 2 240.00–244.00 $241.94 $1,398 -18.06
610–625 615 3 235.00–248.00 $239.96 $1,476 +5.86
705 705 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,565 +2.00
705 705 1 243.00 $243.00 $1,713 +23.00
755–775 763 3 223.00–229.00 $225.66 $1,722 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 1 247.50 $247.50 $1,349 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–265 260 2 290.00–315.00 $302.26 $786 +15.40
305–320 313 4 280.00–315.00 $298.79 $935 +18.02
365–390 373 10 272.50–296.00 $288.90 $1,078 +19.44
400 fancy 400 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,080 +2.04
405–440 423 7 240.00–257.50 $249.31 $1,055 +0.33
455–495 478 15 240.00–259.00 $250.09 $1,195 +3.78
510 value added 510 2 258.00 $258.00 $1,316 —
505–535 517 8 230.00–248.00 $237.17 $1,226 -8.39
525–540 fancy 533 2 256.00–257.00 $256.49 $1,367 —
555–590 576 5 223.00–246.00 $234.97 $1,353 —
645 645 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,367 +6.14
650–670 661 4 206.00–219.00 $211.64 $1,399 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 272.00 $272.00 $911 —
470 470 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,116 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200 1200 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,860 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280–295 288 2 312.50–342.50 $327.89 $944 +22.89
325–345 332 3 322.50–337.50 $332.30 $1,103 +23.91
355–390 369 5 315.00–325.00 $317.98 $1,173 +13.07
405–435 419 8 277.50–320.00 $300.90 $1,261 +19.93
450–495 477 8 277.50–320.00 $300.36 $1,433 +21.78
530–545 538 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,291 +1.73
550–580 565 3 245.00–257.50 $250.77 $1,417 +13.36
605–643 634 5 215.00–228.00 $223.87 $1,419 +3.89
660 660 1 223.00 $223.00 $1,472 —
750–770 762 6 181.00–197.50 $186.36 $1,420 -21.14
883–885 884 3 156.00–161.00 $159.33 $1,408 —
905–940 926 4 137.00–154.00 $145.92 $1,351 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–325 313 2 260.00–307.50 $282.80 $885 —
350 350 1 287.50 $287.50 $1,006 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 262.50 $262.50 $1,142 —
480 480 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,272 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1640 1167 80-85% 34 114.00–135.00 $124.29 $1,450 —
1035–1450 1196 80-85% 8 133.00–147.00 $140.23 $1,677 —
1240 1240 80-85% 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,364 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1955 1483 75-80% 23 118.00–135.00 $127.78 $1,895 -4.02
1450–1515 1483 75-80% 2 140.00–144.00 $142.04 $2,106 +10.24
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
735–1040 908 85-90% 8 98.00–118.00 $110.35 $1,002 +6.85

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180 1180 1 137.00 $137.00 $1,617 —
1440–1610 1525 2 122.00–126.00 $124.11 $1,893 —
1590–1885 1740 4 158.00–163.00 $160.42 $2,791 —
1450–2165 1815 10 142.00–156.00 $151.70 $2,753 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 950.00 $950.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050 1050 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,125.00 $1,125.00
1000–1300 1133 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,275.00–1,575.00 $1,391.67
1000–1300 1150 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,350.00–1,385.00 $1,367.50
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800 800 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 900.00 $900.00

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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 1,525.00–2,350.00 $1,937.50 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —

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Dairy Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1885 1885 1 153.00 $153.00 $2,884 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1255 1163 85-90% 3 127.00–130.00 $128.59 $1,496 —
1150–1515 1340 85-90% 5 109.00–122.00 $116.69 $1,564 —
1650–1915 1796 75-80% 4 117.00–122.00 $119.80 $2,152 —

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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.