Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 28, 2023

429 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $196.51/cwt -13.34 vs last sale · ≈ $660/hd at 336 lb · 15 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $187.25/cwt -0.79 vs last sale · ≈ $889/hd at 475 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 429 402 467
Feeder cattle 368 317 388
Slaughter cattle 61 55 79
Replacement cattle — 30 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder calves 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
310–340 333 4 225.00–240.00 $228.50 $761 —
355–390 383 5 215.00–230.00 $217.78 $834 -9.65
415–420 418 2 205.00–215.00 $209.97 $878 -8.44
500–530 510 3 200.00–210.00 $206.54 $1,053 -0.88
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 369 4 195.00–200.00 $198.73 $733 -9.46

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 336 15 190.00–205.00 $196.51 $660 -13.34
355–360 357 6 185.00–190.00 $186.68 $666 -9.94
470–480 475 11 185.00–190.00 $187.25 $889 -0.79
520–540 525 8 185.00–190.00 $188.71 $991 +9.80
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275–295 290 4 180.00–185.00 $183.81 $533 -4.08
310–340 325 6 170.00–180.00 $174.77 $568 -20.71
370–390 380 2 170.00–175.00 $172.43 $655 -9.31
460–485 475 5 170.00–180.00 $176.13 $837 —
520–545 524 7 170.00–177.50 $176.38 $924 +16.47

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–290 272 5 180.00–185.00 $182.87 $497 —
305–335 330 6 180.00–200.00 $196.92 $650 -23.58
380–385 383 6 175.00–180.00 $177.48 $680 -17.38
460–470 463 6 180.00–185.00 $181.69 $841 -6.28
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 330 2 210.00–215.00 $212.58 $702 —
360–365 363 2 195.00–200.00 $197.48 $717 -19.92
460–485 473 4 190.00–200.00 $194.87 $922 -10.13

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1230 1084 85-90% 5 81.00–84.00 $81.68 $885 +0.14
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1520 1390 80-85% 3 98.00–106.00 $102.48 $1,424 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1695–1740 1725 75-80% 3 85.00–93.00 $90.38 $1,559 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1470–1520 1495 2 100.00–101.00 $100.49 $1,502 —
1495–2230 1834 6 127.00–130.00 $128.19 $2,351 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
277–296 282 7 100.00–107.50 $102.25 $288 —

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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.