Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 21, 2023

402 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $188.04/cwt +0.93 vs last sale · ≈ $889/hd at 473 lb · 16 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $196.62/cwt +2.83 vs last sale · ≈ $737/hd at 375 lb · 13 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 2 steers $200.23/cwt +16.97 vs last sale · ≈ $937/hd at 468 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 402 449 442
Feeder cattle 317 419 340
Slaughter cattle 55 30 64
Replacement cattle 30 — 38

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle steady. feeder and replacement 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
360–385 377 3 205.00–215.00 $208.19 $785 +11.38
410–440 421 10 195.00–205.00 $198.97 $838 +2.81
460–485 468 12 197.50–202.50 $200.23 $937 +16.97
520–540 536 5 185.00–195.00 $186.94 $1,002 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 2 225.00–230.00 $227.43 $841 +2.70
420–435 425 3 215.00–225.00 $218.41 $928 -11.44
460–490 483 4 210.00–220.00 $212.38 $1,026 -0.02
515–540 523 3 202.50–210.00 $207.42 $1,085 +0.64
560–585 577 6 195.00–205.00 $198.24 $1,144 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 330 2 205.00–215.00 $209.85 $693 +21.15
360–385 375 13 194.00–200.00 $196.62 $737 +2.83
415–440 431 8 192.50–200.00 $195.21 $841 +3.36
465–495 473 16 182.50–190.00 $188.04 $889 +0.93
520–540 532 5 175.00–185.00 $178.91 $952 -4.38
555–590 585 7 172.50–180.00 $173.52 $1,015 -4.72
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 270 5 185.00–190.00 $187.89 $507 —
320–345 339 9 190.00–200.00 $195.48 $663 +18.99
360–385 368 3 180.00–185.00 $181.74 $669 —
415–440 432 3 180.00–185.00 $181.60 $785 -0.84
520–540 530 4 155.00–165.00 $159.91 $848 —
555–590 573 4 160.00–165.00 $162.42 $931 -5.92

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 324 7 215.00–225.00 $220.50 $714 —
360–380 370 6 190.00–200.00 $194.86 $721 —
415–440 428 2 190.00–200.00 $195.15 $835 —
460–495 477 5 185.00–190.00 $187.97 $897 —
565–590 578 4 174.00–180.00 $176.94 $1,023 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 375 4 215.00–225.00 $217.40 $815 +7.67
460–485 477 6 205.00 $205.00 $978 —
505–515 510 2 200.00–210.00 $204.95 $1,045 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1165 1095 80-85% 10 88.00–93.00 $89.60 $981 —
1265–1330 1308 80-85% 3 99.00–103.00 $101.71 $1,330 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1095 1056 85-90% 8 77.00–84.00 $81.54 $861 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1410 1298 3 103.00–108.00 $106.62 $1,384 —
1875–1885 1880 2 118.00–123.00 $120.49 $2,265 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1010–1110 1068 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 97.50–113.00 $104.09 $1,112

↑ Back to top

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.