Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, September 21, 2024

645 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $232.80/cwt -3.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,095/hd at 470 lb · 32 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $222.15/cwt +7.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,052/hd at 473 lb · 25 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $217.54/cwt +4.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,123/hd at 516 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 645 566 739
Feeder cattle 427 427 504
Slaughter cattle 196 124 187
Replacement cattle 22 15 48

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold 1.00 to 6.00 higher, feeder heifers sold 6.00 to 8.00 higher, and feeder bulls sold 3.00 to 9.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold 6.00 to 10.00 lower and slaughter bulls sold 1.00 to 8.00 lower.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 255.00 $255.00 $752 —
345 value added 345 1 255.00 $255.00 $880 —
370 370 1 252.50 $252.50 $934 -0.36
415 value added 415 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,058 —
420–445 435 3 240.00–245.00 $242.51 $1,055 -5.42
455–497 476 10 242.50–252.50 $248.47 $1,183 +1.12
500–535 518 7 235.00–247.50 $244.14 $1,265 +31.14
560 value added 560 1 252.50 $252.50 $1,414 —
550–595 571 5 242.50–250.00 $244.43 $1,396 +13.54
575 575 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,236 -15.89
650–685 669 4 217.00–222.50 $219.21 $1,467 —
840 840 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,596 —
850 850 1 204.00 $204.00 $1,734 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 value added 325 1 245.00 $245.00 $796 —
415 value added 415 1 240.00 $240.00 $996 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–345 331 8 212.50–227.50 $222.60 $737 +12.06
365–395 383 9 210.00–230.00 $221.11 $847 -2.93
410–440 426 13 207.50–228.00 $218.20 $930 -1.46
460 460 1 212.50 $212.50 $978 -1.82
450–498 474 24 216.00–232.00 $222.55 $1,055 +8.23
500–535 515 14 210.00–227.50 $218.79 $1,127 +6.37
535 535 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,070 -12.42
550–565 555 3 200.00–204.00 $201.36 $1,118 -5.10
557–590 567 10 209.00–221.00 $213.93 $1,213 +7.47
600–645 624 5 180.00–210.00 $190.11 $1,186 -7.79
694 value added 694 4 207.00 $207.00 $1,437 —
695 695 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,251 —
705–735 720 4 170.00–188.00 $180.79 $1,302 -8.44
770 770 1 178.00 $178.00 $1,371 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 260.00 $260.00 $715 +17.29
330 330 2 235.00–241.00 $238.00 $785 +9.69
335 fancy 335 1 270.00 $270.00 $904 —
350–390 371 11 232.50–252.50 $243.38 $903 +2.90
405–448 431 7 237.00–250.00 $242.52 $1,045 +9.14
455 455 1 210.00 $210.00 $956 -26.13
453–495 471 31 220.00–247.50 $233.54 $1,100 -2.59
500–545 521 6 205.00–232.50 $218.50 $1,138 -0.38
550–598 571 14 200.00–227.50 $214.79 $1,226 +4.69
600–645 623 8 180.00–200.00 $188.88 $1,177 -7.88
650–677 670 4 173.00–205.00 $180.76 $1,211 +6.81
715–745 730 4 160.00–187.50 $174.27 $1,272 +17.29
755–785 772 3 150.00–166.00 $158.07 $1,220 +13.07
825 825 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,320 +5.80
880 880 1 174.00 $174.00 $1,531 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 225.00 $225.00 $765 —
410 410 1 225.00 $225.00 $922 —
515 515 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,030 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–380 373 2 200.00–215.00 $207.35 $773 —
625 625 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,000 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–995 985 80-85% 3 102.00–106.00 $104.65 $1,031 —
890–1370 1117 80-85% 52 109.00–125.00 $117.02 $1,307 —
1240–1275 1258 80-85% 2 127.00–133.00 $130.04 $1,636 -4.58
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295–1300 1298 75-80% 2 106.00–108.00 $107.00 $1,389 —
1105–1780 1390 75-80% 28 112.00–127.00 $118.97 $1,654 +3.97
1330–1795 1486 75-80% 5 129.00–135.00 $132.38 $1,967 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
705–845 763 85-90% 4 117.50–139.00 $124.09 $947 —
805 805 85-90% 1 97.00 $97.00 $781 —
795–1090 951 85-90% 21 102.00–115.00 $107.71 $1,024 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1265 1161 6 134.00–150.00 $141.57 $1,644 —
1520–1870 1678 3 167.00–175.00 $169.42 $2,843 —
1445–2240 1788 10 145.00–158.00 $152.72 $2,731 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00
1100–1450 1217 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,695.00–1,975.00 $1,790.00
1200–1350 1275 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,325.00–1,825.00 $1,575.00
1350–1650 1475 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,595.00–1,800.00 $1,701.25

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
555–590 572 3 175.00–184.00 $179.71 $1,028 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 202.50 $202.50 $608 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 175.00 $175.00 $639 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 242.50 $242.50 $897 —
690 690 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,463 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
625 625 1 192.50 $192.50 $1,203 —
1030 1030 1 146.00 $146.00 $1,504 —

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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 1 1,775.00 $1,775.00 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1300 1265 85-90% 2 104.00–113.00 $108.62 $1,374 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
660 660 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,320 —
775–785 780 2 175.00–182.50 $178.77 $1,394 —
Large 4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650 650 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,072 —
Small 4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680 680 1 135.00 $135.00 $918 —

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Heifer Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — (<2 yrs)Open 1 1,775.00 $1,775.00 —

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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.