Cattle Market Pulse

Volunteer Stockyards Market Report

Greeneville, Tennessee · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, May 3, 2025

247 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 bulls $301.26/cwt +10.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,857/hd at 616 lb · 12 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $399.25/cwt +26.73 vs last sale · ≈ $1,661/hd at 416 lb · 11 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $350.34/cwt +30.62 vs last sale · ≈ $1,524/hd at 435 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 247 284 431
Feeder cattle 168 210 315
Slaughter cattle 68 54 106
Replacement cattle 11 20 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows gauging 3.00 to 9.00 higher overall with slaughter bulls mostly steady. No market trends available for feeder classes due to limited comparable receipts, however, increased buyer activity and a higher undertone was noted.

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
485 485 1 405.00 $405.00 $1,964 +42.50
510–540 525 2 330.00–365.00 $348.00 $1,827 -2.00
565 565 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,808 -31.14
590 value added 590 1 342.00 $342.00 $2,018 —
600–635 612 6 317.00–327.50 $321.52 $1,968 +14.69
685 685 1 310.00 $310.00 $2,124 +18.34
745 745 1 266.00 $266.00 $1,982 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825 825 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,898 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,309 +25.60
355 thin fleshed 355 1 415.00 $415.00 $1,473 —
370–390 380 2 370.00–392.50 $381.55 $1,450 +16.57
433 value added 433 3 370.00 $370.00 $1,602 —
410–445 436 7 330.00–347.50 $341.91 $1,491 +13.39
450–485 475 5 325.00–355.00 $342.12 $1,625 +37.12
488 value added 488 2 362.50 $362.50 $1,769 +2.50
505–510 508 2 307.50–312.50 $309.99 $1,575 +4.62
505–525 515 5 320.00–337.50 $329.54 $1,697 +24.17
575–590 584 4 287.50–312.50 $296.89 $1,734 +8.29
610–635 623 2 280.00–310.00 $294.70 $1,836 +37.99
645 645 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,774 +18.29
660–685 670 4 261.00–275.00 $268.94 $1,802 —
700 700 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,785 —
775 value added 775 2 245.00 $245.00 $1,899 —
820 820 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,968 +15.51
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680 680 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,700 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 445.00 $445.00 $1,179 +26.46
370–385 378 2 402.50–412.50 $407.60 $1,541 -4.92
400–440 416 11 377.50–412.50 $399.25 $1,661 +26.73
460–495 473 6 362.50–400.00 $375.76 $1,777 +10.54
505–525 514 7 330.00–360.00 $351.05 $1,804 +8.82
560–590 576 6 317.50–340.00 $327.77 $1,888 +12.34
610 value added 610 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,952 —
605–630 617 11 290.00–312.50 $299.56 $1,848 +8.74
660 660 1 253.00 $253.00 $1,670 -19.30
650–690 673 6 260.00–280.00 $266.26 $1,792 -6.04
720–730 725 3 255.00–277.00 $266.45 $1,932 +16.45
750–790 775 7 239.00–267.50 $252.02 $1,953 —
841 value added 841 4 251.00 $251.00 $2,111 —
871 871 1 232.50 $232.50 $2,025 —
905 905 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,991 —
980 980 1 212.50 $212.50 $2,082 —
1000 1000 1 200.00 $200.00 $2,000 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1460 1215 80-85% 15 134.00–149.00 $141.01 $1,713 +4.05
1160–1440 1300 80-85% 5 151.00–156.00 $152.84 $1,987 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1655 1395 75-80% 15 136.00–150.00 $144.56 $2,017 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1150 1020 85-90% 7 128.00–138.00 $132.77 $1,354 +3.57

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 1 171.00 $171.00 $1,847 —
1415–1930 1623 3 191.00–200.00 $194.11 $3,150 —
1400–2205 1912 7 176.00–188.00 $181.81 $3,476 —

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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)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00
1150 1150 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
1250–1550 1400 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,850.00–2,400.00 $2,125.00

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
610 610 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,372 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–930 920 2 225.00–230.00 $227.47 $2,093 —

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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
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 3,600.00 $3,600.00 —
— — Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,600.00 $2,600.00 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1725 1487 75-80% 3 135.00–138.00 $136.18 $2,025 —

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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.