Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 16, 2021

498 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Townsend Livestock Auction report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $117.89/cwt +0.47 vs last sale · ≈ $564/hd at 478 lb · 12 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $117.94/cwt +1.32 vs last sale · ≈ $675/hd at 572 lb · 10 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 steers $150.84/cwt +3.41 vs last sale · ≈ $558/hd at 370 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 498 436 81
Feeder cattle 424 336 76
Slaughter cattle 74 100 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady to weak. Feeder cattle mostly 2.00 to 4.00 higher.

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
305–340 328 3 185.00–192.50 $187.32 $614 +8.05
360–385 370 5 175.00–185.00 $180.84 $669 —
410–445 419 8 160.00–170.00 $165.67 $694 —
460–485 477 6 147.50–155.00 $149.91 $715 —
525–540 534 5 140.00–147.50 $142.95 $763 +6.48
560–585 569 8 137.50–140.00 $139.04 $791 —
655–660 658 4 127.50–130.00 $128.75 $847 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 370 10 145.00–155.00 $150.84 $558 +3.41
405–445 427 8 150.00–155.00 $152.39 $651 —
460–490 472 6 137.50–145.00 $139.96 $661 +7.24
530–540 535 4 130.00–135.00 $132.48 $709 +9.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–485 468 3 120.00–127.50 $124.91 $585 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 330 8 135.00–140.00 $137.42 $453 +0.37
360–390 377 9 135.00–137.50 $136.06 $513 -0.72
410–440 430 6 132.50–137.50 $134.09 $577 +4.40
460–485 473 6 130.00–135.00 $132.43 $626 +4.13
520–540 530 8 120.00–127.50 $123.68 $656 -2.63
560–590 572 10 115.00–120.00 $117.94 $675 +1.32
620–640 625 8 115.00–117.50 $115.64 $723 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 267 3 135.00–137.50 $136.63 $365 +1.74
320–340 330 4 127.50–135.00 $131.14 $433 +4.01
360–390 380 6 125.00–132.50 $127.37 $484 -1.28
420 420 3 127.50 $127.50 $536 +5.41
455–485 478 12 115.00–120.00 $117.89 $564 +0.47
565–585 573 5 105.00–110.00 $107.96 $619 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 368 5 115.00–120.00 $117.99 $434 —
460–480 470 4 110.00 $110.00 $517 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 6 160.00–170.00 $164.86 $610 +10.00
420–440 430 4 160.00–165.00 $162.44 $698 +3.52
460–480 470 4 140.00–147.50 $143.67 $675 -2.71
610–645 631 5 123.00–130.00 $125.71 $793 +11.22
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 375 4 145.00–155.00 $149.80 $562 +6.18
420–440 430 6 137.50–145.00 $141.16 $607 —
520–540 529 4 115.00–120.00 $118.72 $628 -8.37
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225–240 234 5 130.00–140.00 $133.85 $313 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1910 1407 80-85% 34 55.00–62.00 $56.08 $789 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1190 1130 85-90% 18 47.00–53.00 $50.16 $567 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555–1645 1585 3 79.00–87.00 $84.23 $1,335 —

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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.