Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 6, 2022

709 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 2 heifers $136.31/cwt +2.57 vs last sale · ≈ $725/hd at 532 lb · 11 head
light 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $154.85/cwt -15.34 vs last sale · ≈ $511/hd at 330 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 709 883 564
Feeder cattle 630 773 480
Slaughter cattle 79 110 84

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady to 2.00 lower. 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
410–430 420 4 180.00 $180.00 $756 -9.85
455–485 465 9 170.00–175.00 $173.26 $806 -4.17
505–530 518 2 160.00–165.00 $162.44 $841 -5.00
605–615 610 4 157.50–162.50 $159.98 $976 +8.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 6 170.00–180.00 $176.56 $659 -8.24
410–440 425 8 165.00–170.00 $168.06 $714 +9.26
530–540 535 4 145.00–150.00 $147.48 $789 -7.46

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 273 6 170.00–175.00 $172.61 $471 -27.52
305–330 318 4 165.00–175.00 $170.20 $541 -18.54
355–385 374 8 160.00–170.00 $163.56 $612 -15.53
405–430 422 3 152.50–160.00 $154.90 $654 -9.92
460–485 475 5 150.00–155.00 $151.94 $722 +2.36
520–540 528 5 147.00–155.00 $151.73 $801 +3.34
560–580 568 5 140.00–145.00 $142.96 $812 -2.00
605–620 611 7 125.00–127.50 $126.09 $770 -8.84
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 266 5 150.00–160.00 $155.86 $415 -22.35
320–340 330 10 150.00–160.00 $154.85 $511 -15.34
420–440 432 5 140.00–145.00 $141.94 $613 -8.14
510–540 532 11 135.00–140.00 $136.31 $725 +2.57

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 228 6 270.00–290.00 $279.67 $638 —
270–280 277 3 225.00–240.00 $229.88 $637 —
360–375 365 6 180.00–190.00 $183.42 $669 -4.30
405–430 418 2 180.00 $180.00 $752 +6.77
470–480 476 5 165.00–170.00 $167.98 $800 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 4 162.50–170.00 $166.35 $615 —
420–430 423 3 155.00–160.00 $158.31 $670 —
460–485 473 6 140.00–150.00 $144.87 $685 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255–1365 1328 80-85% 6 75.00–79.00 $76.71 $1,019 —
1325–1410 1376 80-85% 15 67.00–74.00 $69.70 $959 +4.04
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1115 1029 85-90% 14 56.00–64.00 $59.71 $614 —

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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.