Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 12, 2021

808 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 2 steers $127.55/cwt +0.12 vs last sale · ≈ $598/hd at 469 lb · 19 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $135.26/cwt +0.31 vs last sale · ≈ $649/hd at 480 lb · 17 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $141.06/cwt +7.34 vs last sale · ≈ $516/hd at 366 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 808 762 563
Feeder cattle 640 500 429
Slaughter cattle 82 122 83
Replacement cattle 86 140 51

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows steady. Slaughter bulls not well tested. Feeder cattle steady to firm. Replacement type cows steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230–245 239 5 160.00–167.50 $164.61 $393 —
320–340 329 7 150.00–155.00 $152.78 $503 +1.67
360–380 372 5 152.00–160.00 $155.10 $577 +13.05
420–440 433 8 140.00–147.50 $142.73 $618 +6.95
455–485 469 19 125.00–130.00 $127.55 $598 +0.12
520–540 529 14 120.00–125.00 $122.81 $650 -3.02
560–590 572 11 120.00–125.00 $122.67 $702 +5.22
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 375 6 160.00–165.00 $162.40 $609 +7.49
410–440 428 5 152.50–160.00 $155.37 $665 —
460–485 480 17 132.50–140.00 $135.26 $649 +0.31
505–520 513 4 130.00–135.00 $132.46 $680 +1.23
560–580 567 3 130.00–135.00 $133.29 $756 +5.83
615–630 620 3 140.00–145.00 $141.69 $878 —
660–690 683 4 125.00–135.00 $127.42 $870 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–285 270 2 142.50–150.00 $146.04 $394 —
305–345 329 5 145.00–152.50 $147.78 $486 +14.61
355–385 366 16 135.00–145.00 $141.06 $516 +7.34
460–485 476 8 125.00–127.50 $125.91 $599 +2.48
510–540 525 12 117.50–122.50 $119.93 $630 +0.01
560–590 578 5 115.00–122.50 $117.91 $682 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–310 308 6 135.00–140.00 $137.52 $424 +15.11
370–390 380 4 135.00–140.00 $137.43 $522 +11.24
485–490 488 6 117.50–120.00 $118.74 $579 +8.74
520–540 528 5 115.00–120.00 $117.05 $618 —
565–590 578 6 105.00–110.00 $107.45 $621 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 6 150.00–160.00 $154.82 $426 +3.64
310–340 319 7 145.00–152.50 $149.65 $477 +7.27
460–490 475 6 122.50–125.00 $123.71 $588 +1.28
505–530 524 12 112.50–120.00 $114.31 $599 +0.82
570–590 582 5 112.50–117.50 $114.46 $666 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–290 270 3 160.00–170.00 $166.42 $449 —
360–385 373 6 160.00–165.00 $162.42 $606 —
460–485 473 6 130.00–135.00 $132.43 $626 —
560–590 575 4 117.50–122.50 $119.93 $690 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 373 8 130.00–140.00 $134.97 $503 +7.72

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1090 1044 85-90% 14 48.00–53.00 $51.36 $536 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1270 1226 80-85% 10 55.00–58.00 $56.14 $688 —
1180–1360 1270 80-85% 4 60.00–62.00 $60.93 $774 +5.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1085–1140 1113 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 80.00–85.00 $82.44 $918
1070–1215 1143 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 56.00–66.00 $60.68 $694

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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.