Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 20, 2021

489 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $147.40/cwt ≈ $553/hd at 375 lb · 10 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.22/cwt -11.66 vs last sale · ≈ $627/hd at 438 lb · 10 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 3 steers $134.83/cwt ≈ $503/hd at 373 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 489 424 244
Feeder cattle 389 330 208
Slaughter cattle 76 61 36
Replacement cattle 24 33 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady to 2.00 lower. Feeder cattle generally steady. Feeder and replacement cows steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 10 130.00–140.00 $134.83 $503 —
460–480 470 4 127.50–135.00 $131.17 $616 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–430 423 3 170.00–180.00 $173.23 $733 —
460–480 470 2 160.00–167.50 $163.67 $769 +3.72
560–580 570 4 135.00–140.00 $137.46 $784 -6.67
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–435 425 3 150.00–160.00 $156.59 $666 —
510–540 528 5 127.50–135.00 $130.40 $689 -5.65

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 329 7 150.00–155.00 $152.78 $503 +10.36
360–390 375 10 145.00–150.00 $147.40 $553 —
420–440 438 10 142.50–150.00 $143.22 $627 -11.66
465–485 475 4 130.00–137.50 $133.67 $635 —
520–540 530 4 127.00–130.00 $128.47 $681 -5.21
560–585 578 7 115.00–120.00 $116.38 $673 -11.06
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 339 4 130.00–140.00 $132.36 $449 —
360–390 375 6 138.00–145.00 $141.36 $530 —
420–440 427 3 130.00–135.00 $133.28 $569 +1.63
510–530 523 3 110.00–117.50 $112.44 $588 -8.48
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 370 5 115.00–120.00 $117.92 $436 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 330 4 135.00–140.00 $137.42 $453 —
420–440 430 4 147.50 $147.50 $634 —
460–485 473 6 130.00–137.50 $133.65 $632 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–330 320 2 155.00–157.50 $156.21 $500 —
360–380 367 3 155.00–165.00 $158.45 $582 —
410–445 427 6 140.00–170.00 $161.72 $691 -10.70
510–530 520 2 140.00–145.00 $142.45 $741 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–440 428 5 127.50–135.00 $131.92 $565 —
520–540 532 5 110.00–120.00 $113.91 $606 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1240 1067 85-90% 7 48.00–53.00 $49.66 $530 —
1040–1160 1082 85-90% 20 58.00–61.00 $58.32 $631 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1475 1328 80-85% 19 59.00–64.00 $61.92 $822 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225–1650 1471 75-80% 8 55.00–61.00 $56.48 $831 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1490–1680 1605 3 84.00–90.00 $87.12 $1,398 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885–890 888 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 90.00 $90.00 $799
1145–1305 1225 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 60.00–67.00 $63.27 $775

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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.