Name: Sweetwater Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-04-29
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-04-29

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week, slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 6.00 lower with slaughter bulls mostly steady, and no market trends available for feeder cattle due to limited comparable receipts.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $406.21/cwt on 11 head, down $12.68 from the prior sale. That ranks 9 of 11 comparable sales and sits +31.23 against this barn's trailing median of $374.98.

Average price

$406.21

▼ 12.68 vs prior sale

11 head · 523 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,125

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$372

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 2

$53.59/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−4.76

vs TN average

−17.86 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	525	411.09	2,159	10thin
Medium and Large 2	500	357.50	1,788	1thin

One grade step is worth $53.59/cwt here — about $372 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

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

406.21

—

TN average15 barns · 568 hd

410.98

−4.76

National average166 barns · 11,250 hd

424.07

−17.86

This barn, trailing median11 sales

374.98

+31.23

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	—	Low	1,526	212.80	3,247	9thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,457	171.51	2,498	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,227	171.16	2,100	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,085	160.01	1,736	5thin
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,950	160.00	3,120	1thin

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	—	$3,400	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	—	$3,700	1thin

Every lot, as filed

39 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
Bulls	—	—	1,190	194.00/cwt	194.00–194.00	2,309	1
Bulls	—	—	1,518	205.03/cwt	199.00–209.00	3,112	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,162	167.98/cwt	161.50–176.50	1,952	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,427	168.43/cwt	164.00–172.50	2,403	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,400	179.65/cwt	178.00–182.00	2,515	3
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,145	194.00/cwt	194.00–194.00	2,221	1
Bulls	Small 1	350–400	368	413.76/cwt	390.00–440.00	1,523	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	384	457.41/cwt	442.50–475.00	1,756	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	426	452.37/cwt	450.00–465.00	1,927	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	570	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,138	1
Steers	Small 1	300–350	345	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	1,725	1
Heifers	Small 1	300–350	325	442.50/cwt	440.00–445.00	1,438	2
Heifers	Small 1	750–800	750	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,400	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	610	370.70/cwt	362.50–375.00	2,261	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	675	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,396	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	521	411.67/cwt	407.50–417.50	2,145	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	575	442.50/cwt	442.50–442.50	2,544	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	688	354.92/cwt	347.50–362.50	2,442	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	764	316.89/cwt	315.00–320.00	2,421	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	473	468.82/cwt	445.00–490.00	2,218	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	508	468.06/cwt	455.00–500.00	2,378	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	340	590.00/cwt	590.00–590.00	2,006	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	410	478.99/cwt	460.00–515.00	1,964	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	445	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,958	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	310	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	1,473	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	358	502.59/cwt	490.00–515.00	1,799	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	350–400	394	592.50/cwt	592.50–592.50	2,334	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	500–550	545	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	2,562	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	357	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	2,071	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	450–500	473	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,034	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	500–550	515	442.50/cwt	442.50–442.50	2,279	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,635	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	3,107	1
Bulls	—	—	1,711	228.02/cwt	224.00–232.00	3,901	4
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,950	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	3,120	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,085	160.01/cwt	156.00–165.00	1,736	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	715	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,360	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	500	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	1,788	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	—	3,700.00/head	3,700.00–3,700.00	3,700	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	—	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	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 Apr 29, 2026

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 106Last week 97Year ago 84

Slaughter CattleReceipts 46Last week 48Year ago 41

Replacement CattleReceipts 5Last week 4Year ago 7

Compared to last week, slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 6.00 lower with slaughter bulls mostly steady, and no market trends available for feeder cattle due to limited comparable receipts.

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,190	194.00	194.00
3	—	1,518	199.00–209.00	205.03
4	—	1,711	224.00–232.00	228.02
Bulls — Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,145	194.00	194.00
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	1,162	161.50–176.50	167.98
3	—	1,400	178.00–182.00	179.65
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,427	164.00–172.50	168.43
1	—	1,635	190.00	190.00
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,085	156.00–165.00	160.01
Dairy Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,950	160.00	160.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Small 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	350–400	368	390.00–440.00	413.76
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	340	590.00	590.00
3	350–400	357	580.00	580.00
3	400–450	410	460.00–515.00	478.99
5	450–500	473	445.00–490.00	468.82
5	500–550	508	455.00–500.00	468.06
1	550–600	575	442.50	442.50
2	650–700	688	347.50–362.50	354.92
4	750–800	764	315.00–320.00	316.89
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	700–750	715	330.00	330.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	300–350	310	475.00	475.00
7	350–400	384	442.50–475.00	457.41
10	400–450	426	450.00–465.00	452.37
8	500–550	521	407.50–417.50	411.67
1	550–600	570	375.00	375.00
3	600–650	610	362.50–375.00	370.70
1	650–700	675	355.00	355.00
Heifers — Small 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	325	440.00–445.00	442.50
1	750–800	750	320.00	320.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	445	440.00	440.00
3	450–500	473	430.00	430.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
1	500–550	515	442.50	442.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	500–550	500	357.50	357.50
Steers — Small 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	345	500.00	500.00
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	350–400	358	490.00–515.00	502.59
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
4	350–400	394	592.50	592.50
1	500–550	545	470.00	470.00

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · n/c wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	1	—	—	3,700.00	3,700.00
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · n/c wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	—	—	3,400.00	3,400.00

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

Reporter comment USDA

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

What quality paid 500–600 lb

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

How it compared 500–600 lb

Slaughter cattle

Replacement cattle Per head

Every lot, as filed

How this sale compares

East Tennessee Livestock Center - Sweetwater, TN

Slaughter Cattle

Feeder Cattle

Replacement Cattle