Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 7, 2021

564 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $129.04/cwt -12.90 vs last sale · ≈ $672/hd at 521 lb · 18 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $134.40/cwt +1.76 vs last sale · ≈ $504/hd at 375 lb · 12 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $133.81/cwt +3.42 vs last sale · ≈ $640/hd at 478 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 564 534 644
Feeder cattle 480 430 582
Slaughter cattle 84 104 62

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady to firm. Feeder cattle mostly steady.

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
305–340 319 4 170.00–175.00 $173.67 $554 -3.75
410–440 424 5 170.00–180.00 $174.88 $741 +2.82
460–480 473 6 167.50–177.50 $170.74 $808 -1.75
510–530 524 7 152.50–157.50 $153.89 $806 —
560–580 573 3 147.50–155.00 $149.94 $859 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 327 3 155.00–165.00 $161.53 $528 —
410–440 423 6 155.00–165.00 $161.57 $683 +25.28
460–485 473 4 150.00–155.00 $152.43 $721 +4.24
505–545 529 5 137.50–145.00 $140.36 $743 +3.90

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 273 3 160.00–165.00 $163.41 $446 —
360–390 375 6 137.50–140.00 $138.70 $520 -3.35
410–440 431 7 130.00–137.50 $132.04 $569 —
460–485 478 11 132.50–137.50 $133.81 $640 +3.42
505–540 521 18 125.00–132.50 $129.04 $672 -12.90
715–720 718 2 115.00–120.00 $117.49 $844 -2.51
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 4 140.00–150.00 $144.82 $398 —
305–340 331 4 122.50–130.00 $124.23 $411 —
360–380 375 12 132.50–135.00 $134.40 $504 +1.76
410–440 423 6 125.00–130.00 $126.65 $536 -1.64
460–490 474 11 120.00–130.00 $125.30 $594 +8.24
520–540 530 4 117.50–122.50 $119.95 $636 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–280 268 4 150.00–160.00 $154.77 $415 —
320–340 330 2 150.00–160.00 $154.85 $511 —
360–390 379 8 150.00–160.00 $153.56 $582 —
455–480 465 5 135.00–140.00 $137.94 $641 —
520–540 530 4 127.50–135.00 $131.18 $695 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 273 4 165.00–175.00 $170.23 $465 —
360–380 370 2 170.00–180.00 $174.86 $647 —
400–440 432 5 170.00–180.00 $171.85 $742 -0.64
455–485 465 3 165.00–175.00 $171.52 $798 —
520–540 530 4 145.00–155.00 $149.91 $795 —
600–615 608 4 130.00–135.00 $132.47 $805 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–480 470 8 110.00–120.00 $114.89 $540 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1385 1047 80-85% 13 56.00–61.00 $57.53 $602 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1620–1855 1737 75-80% 3 69.00–72.00 $70.36 $1,222 —
1685–2045 1793 75-80% 6 63.00–96.00 $69.79 $1,251 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1090 1025 85-90% 6 48.00–54.00 $50.81 $521 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1345–1605 1475 6 81.00–87.00 $84.26 $1,243 —
1950–2325 2138 2 94.00–98.00 $95.82 $2,049 —

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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.