The Morning Wire / Tennessee / Tue Aug 4, 2026

Tennessee cattle market

The trading day in one page — Tue, Aug 4
5 barns reportedEvery figure as filed

The market in a line

Tue, Aug 4
Choice cutout closed $2.92 higher at $369.65. 5 Tennessee barns reported 371 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Tennessee, week of Aug 3 USDA
Weighted across every reported lot, by weight class. Weekly rather than daily — one day's barns are too thin a base for a state figure. Watch the barn count: a weight class carried by one or two barns is a thin figure, not a market.
WeightPricevs prior weekHeadBarns
300-399 lb489.59/cwt$38.38 higher12813
400-499 lb446.48/cwt$10.15 higher32115
500-599 lb418.58/cwt$25.24 higher67115
600-699 lb388.47/cwt$26.52 higher84415
700-799 lb355.83/cwt$29.18 higher41715
800-899 lb341.21/cwt$19.15 higher18811

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA
Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Tue, Aug 4, weighted by head. Spread of $11.43 between the top and bottom of 3 barns. An average moves with the cattle that showed up as much as with the buyers in the seats — a yard with better grade will average higher on the same demand. This is where the money landed, not a verdict on the barn.
BarnStateAverageHead
Athens Regional Stockyard - Athens, TNTN425.67/cwt47
Knoxville Livestock Auction - Knoxville, TNTN424.40/cwt32
United Producers Inc (Fayetteville, TN)TN414.24/cwt23

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Aug 4 USDA
Choice $369.65, $2.92 higher. Select $346.50, $2.05 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $23.15. 120 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
9,171 head traded Jul 28Aug 3.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered364.80354
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed FOB365.0070
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered235.811,432
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB233.484,067
KansasLive FOB232.831,476
NebraskaDressed Delivered364.511,620

At the Tennessee barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last week, all classes of Feeder Cattle mostly steady to 15.00 higher. Slaughter Cows mostly steady to 2.00 lower. Slaughter Bulls 4.00 to 8.00 lower. Average to good quality with good demand.

Athens Regional Stockyard - Athens, TN · Tennessee

Compared to last week, feeder steers sold 5.00 to 25.00 higher, with feeder heifers weighing up to 500 lbs. 5.00 to 20.00 higher and those weighing over 500 lbs. mostly steady, and feeder bulls 15.00 to 25.00 higher.

Knoxville Livestock Auction - Knoxville, TN · Tennessee

Compared to last week, Feeder Steers/Bulls steady to 10.00 higher with instances of 15.00 higher; Feeder Heifers 5.00-15.00 higher with instances of 20.00 higher; Slaughter Cows mostly steady to 3.00 lower; Slaughter Bulls mostly steady.

United Producers Inc (Fayetteville, TN) · Tennessee

Compared to last week Feeder Steers not well established; Feeder Heifers and Bulls 5.00 to 10.00 higher with instances of 20.00 higher with good quality throughout; Slaughter Cows 2.00 to 4.00 higher; Slaughter Bulls not well established however traded well due to quality.

Pulaski Livestock Auction - Pulaski, TN · Tennessee

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)316.11/cwt$0.01 lower596
Boner (85% lean)336.94/cwt$1.92 higher1,488
Cutter (90% lean)338.27/cwt$3.60 higher2,308
Premium White328.24/cwt$0.37 higher1,518
Bull (92% lean)375.96/cwt$0.16 higher299

What published

See every report →
Every USDA report carried this date is listed in the archive.
Source: USDA AMS. Feeder prices and barn comment are Tennessee only; boxed beef, fed cattle and the cow market are national, because those markets are. Every figure is USDA's as filed, and the direction words — higher, lower, steady— follow the arithmetic rather than an opinion. Quoted comment is the work of USDA market reporters, credited to the sale it came from. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of USDA data, not a copy of USDA's document and not endorsed by USDA.