Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 9, 2023

478 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $194.61/cwt -4.87 vs last sale · ≈ $722/hd at 371 lb · 18 head
light 3-weight M&L 2 bulls $203.45/cwt -11.70 vs last sale · ≈ $655/hd at 322 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 478 248 453
Feeder cattle 330 180 336
Slaughter cattle 148 57 117
Replacement cattle — 11 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle steady to firm. *value added marked calves were light roping type.

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
205–210 value added 208 2 295.00–300.00 $297.53 $619 —
410–435 423 8 220.00–230.00 $225.15 $952 —
460–475 468 2 215.00–220.00 $217.46 $1,018 +2.35
510–530 518 5 205.00–220.00 $211.14 $1,094 +10.90
610–630 623 3 190.00–210.00 $196.52 $1,224 -8.42
655–660 658 2 200.00–205.00 $202.49 $1,332 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–235 218 3 220.00–230.00 $223.59 $487 —
260–285 273 6 220.00–230.00 $225.23 $615 +31.86
320–345 334 5 190.00–200.00 $193.83 $647 —
360–385 371 18 190.00–200.00 $194.61 $722 -4.87
420–430 427 3 175.00–185.00 $178.28 $761 -18.54
510–540 530 9 180.00–185.00 $181.60 $962 —
630–640 635 6 160.00–170.00 $165.04 $1,048 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–215 value added 212 3 270.00–290.00 $283.54 $601 —
230–240 236 5 230.00–255.00 $245.25 $579 —
260–280 269 8 255.00–265.00 $259.83 $699 +3.00
360–385 373 2 205.00–215.00 $209.83 $783 —
415–430 425 3 195.00–205.00 $198.25 $843 -0.12
460–485 474 7 195.00–200.00 $196.39 $931 -1.99
510–530 515 8 190.00–195.00 $193.71 $998 +10.23
560–585 579 4 180.00–190.00 $182.42 $1,056 -5.88
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 273 2 185.00–195.00 $189.77 $518 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 228 2 210.00–230.00 $220.33 $502 —
260–275 268 6 220.00–230.00 $225.14 $603 -13.27
310–340 322 15 195.00–215.00 $203.45 $655 -11.70
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235–240 238 6 230.00–255.00 $242.63 $577 -14.69
260–275 266 8 230.00–245.00 $235.82 $627 -17.72
360–380 370 4 220.00–225.00 $222.43 $823 -1.00
420–435 428 4 200.00–210.00 $204.91 $877 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1125 1102 80-85% 42 91.00–97.00 $95.54 $1,053 —
1245–1305 1285 80-85% 6 85.00–89.00 $87.71 $1,127 —
1105–1375 1296 80-85% 17 99.00–104.00 $102.75 $1,332 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1105 1043 85-90% 7 75.00–82.00 $79.24 $826 -6.42
1055–1185 1120 85-90% 18 84.00–88.00 $86.12 $965 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1565–1710 1613 3 107.00–116.00 $110.18 $1,777 —
1845 1845 1 123.00 $123.00 $2,269 —

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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.