Name: Sweetwater Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-01-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-21

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No market trends available due to limited comparable receipts, however, a higher undertone was noted for slaughter cows and bulls.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $369.35/cwt on 11 head, up $5.07 from the prior sale (only 14 head in that comparison). That ranks 5 of 11 comparable sales and sits −5.64 against this barn's trailing median of $374.98.

Average price

$369.35

▲ 5.07 vs prior sale

11 head · 543 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,005

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

−3.54

vs TN average

−41.52 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	543	369.35	2,005	11thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

11 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $419.81, low $340.56, median $374.98 across 11 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale11 hd

369.35

—

TN average17 barns · 959 hd

372.89

−3.54

National average175 barns · 20,266 hd

410.87

−41.52

This barn, trailing median11 sales

374.98

−5.64

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	High	1,886	206.81	3,899	4thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,349	165.81	2,237	4thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,177	164.28	1,934	3thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,013	126.00	1,276	2thin
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,366	162.51	2,220	5thin
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,577	161.99	2,555	5thin
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,130	145.00	1,639	1thin

Every lot, as filed

38 lots · USDA AMS · East Tennessee Livestock Center - Sweetwater, TN

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,118	154.42/cwt	153.00–156.00	1,726	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,295	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	2,383	1
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,577	161.99/cwt	155.00–170.00	2,555	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,035	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	1,252	1
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,366	162.51/cwt	159.00–168.00	2,220	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,373	166.62/cwt	164.00–169.00	2,288	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	735	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,279	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	760	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,128	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	361.48/cwt	357.50–375.00	2,068	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	645	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	2,112	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	515	361.62/cwt	345.00–380.00	1,862	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Full	500–550	515	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,648	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	2,228	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,125	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	350–400	390	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,775	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	345	660.00/cwt	660.00–660.00	2,277	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	427	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,793	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	690	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,277	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	775	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,209	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	805	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,174	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	460	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,024	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,904	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	323	570.00/cwt	570.00–570.00	1,841	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	367.98/cwt	360.00–370.00	2,134	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	555	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,776	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Full	500–550	505	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,667	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,016	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	680	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,312	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	800–850	830	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	2,303	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	450–500	455	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	2,321	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	361	457.45/cwt	435.00–500.00	1,651	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	511	387.08/cwt	370.00–395.00	1,978	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	990	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	1,297	1
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,130	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,639	1
Bulls	—	—	2,013	214.07/cwt	211.00–217.00	4,309	2
Bulls	—	—	1,758	199.54/cwt	199.00–200.00	3,508	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,310	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	2,424	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,340	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,943	1

How this sale compares

Tennessee weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Tennessee auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Tennessee feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

East Tennessee Livestock Center - Sweetwater, TN

Wed Jan 21, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Nashville, TN (LS-NV)

Feeder CattleReceipts 74Last week 99Year ago 28

Slaughter CattleReceipts 27Last week 47Year ago 10

No market trends available due to limited comparable receipts, however, a higher undertone was noted for slaughter cows and bulls.

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,118	153.00–156.00	154.42
1	—	1,295	184.00	184.00
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,035	121.00	121.00
1	—	990	131.00	131.00
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,373	164.00–169.00	166.62
1	—	1,310	185.00	185.00
1	—	1,340	145.00	145.00
Dairy Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,577	155.00–170.00	161.99
Dairy Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,366	159.00–168.00	162.51
Dairy Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,130	145.00	145.00
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	2,013	211.00–217.00	214.07
2	—	1,758	199.00–200.00	199.54

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	350–400	361	435.00–500.00	457.45
3	400–450	427	420.00	420.00
5	500–550	511	370.00–395.00	387.08
5	550–600	572	357.50–375.00	361.48
1	600–650	645	327.50	327.50
1	700–750	735	310.00	310.00
1	750–800	760	280.00	280.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
1	550–600	555	320.00	320.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
3	800–850	830	277.50	277.50
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	345	660.00	660.00
2	400–450	405	470.00	470.00
1	450–500	460	440.00	440.00
3	500–550	515	345.00–380.00	361.62
5	550–600	580	360.00–370.00	367.98
1	600–650	625	340.00	340.00
2	650–700	690	330.00	330.00
1	750–800	775	285.00	285.00
1	800–850	805	270.00	270.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 2 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
1	500–550	515	320.00	320.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
1	500–550	505	330.00	330.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	450–500	480	420.00	420.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	323	570.00	570.00
3	400–450	405	550.00	550.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
1	350–400	390	455.00	455.00
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	650–700	680	340.00	340.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
2	450–500	455	510.00	510.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

More

Sweetwater Livestock Auction