Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, May 18, 2024

382 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $261.65/cwt +3.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,255/hd at 480 lb · 16 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $269.00/cwt +4.35 vs last sale · ≈ $1,167/hd at 434 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 382 444 651
Feeder cattle 248 281 482
Slaughter cattle 112 128 129
Replacement cattle 22 35 40

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 1.00 to 6.00 higher overall, with slaughter bulls 8.00 higher, and feeder receipts too light to establish a trend.

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
350 350 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,155 —
430 430 1 312.50 $312.50 $1,344 -1.11
433 value added 433 3 326.00 $326.00 $1,412 —
455–490 468 3 297.50 $297.50 $1,392 +0.92
555–580 568 2 289.00–290.00 $289.51 $1,644 —
585 585 1 263.00 $263.00 $1,539 —
630–635 633 2 250.00–264.00 $256.97 $1,627 -11.06
650 650 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,625 -3.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,325 —
525–535 533 4 279.00–287.50 $281.10 $1,498 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 277.50 $277.50 $1,166 —
585 585 1 252.00 $252.00 $1,474 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 300.00 $300.00 $660 —
260 260 1 295.00 $295.00 $767 —
320–340 329 4 262.50–290.00 $274.32 $903 -1.51
340 value added 340 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,003 —
360 value added 360 1 312.50 $312.50 $1,125 —
350–390 368 7 268.00–285.00 $275.96 $1,016 +3.44
410–445 434 14 260.00–278.00 $269.00 $1,167 +4.35
460 value added 460 1 277.50 $277.50 $1,276 -1.50
460–498 481 15 249.00–270.00 $260.59 $1,253 +3.56
500–540 517 6 241.00–255.00 $248.10 $1,283 -6.28
550–595 572 6 235.00–243.00 $239.66 $1,371 -8.24
625 625 1 226.00 $226.00 $1,412 -3.75
655–665 660 2 225.00–242.00 $233.44 $1,541 +5.95
675 675 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,472 -9.49
700 700 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,628 +10.02
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 1 240.00 $240.00 $900 —
410 410 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,004 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 250.00 $250.00 $900 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–345 335 5 307.50–315.00 $310.46 $1,040 +10.46
355–385 372 7 312.50–340.00 $325.87 $1,212 +12.00
400–445 427 6 295.00–330.00 $308.84 $1,319 +21.34
455–475 467 8 282.50–310.00 $297.17 $1,388 +27.17
505–540 524 6 268.00–292.50 $280.17 $1,468 +22.67
555–595 569 6 267.50–287.50 $275.79 $1,569 +12.99
605–615 610 2 255.00–260.00 $257.52 $1,571 +19.98
650–675 666 4 237.50–250.00 $245.86 $1,637 +6.79
700–705 703 2 227.50–230.00 $228.75 $1,608 -6.25
755 755 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,586 -6.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,161 —
455–465 460 2 267.50–270.00 $268.76 $1,236 —
635 635 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,508 —
665 665 1 228.00 $228.00 $1,516 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 270.00 $270.00 $864 —
475 475 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,271 —
540 540 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,323 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,320 —
680 680 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,513 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020 1020 80-85% 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,163 —
960–1315 1116 80-85% 24 117.00–133.00 $126.80 $1,415 —
1015–1525 1205 80-85% 13 136.00–152.00 $139.95 $1,686 +7.38
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195 1195 75-80% 1 119.00 $119.00 $1,422 —
1190–1710 1362 75-80% 19 125.00–139.00 $134.58 $1,833 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1095 978 85-90% 9 106.00–118.00 $111.91 $1,094 —
1010 1010 85-90% 1 95.00 $95.00 $960 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1485 1485 1 175.00 $175.00 $2,599 —
1365–1860 1590 5 147.00–166.00 $157.75 $2,508 —

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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)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,490.00 $1,490.00
1100–1250 1175 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,750.00–1,810.00 $1,780.00
1100–1300 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,425.00–1,950.00 $1,687.50
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
1300–1400 1350 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 1,425.00–1,695.00 $1,560.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00
900 900 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00
1000 1000 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,440.00 $1,440.00

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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 2,350.00 $2,350.00 —
— — Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,825.00 $1,825.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —
— — Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,300.00–1,675.00 $1,487.50 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,100.00 $2,100.00 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195 1195 85-90% 1 98.00 $98.00 $1,171 —
1110–1300 1205 85-90% 2 105.00–107.00 $106.08 $1,278 —
1125–1485 1305 80-85% 2 125.00–135.00 $130.69 $1,706 —
1475–1530 1503 75-80% 2 126.00–130.00 $128.04 $1,924 —

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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.