Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 16, 2023

448 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $204.10/cwt +7.71 vs last sale · ≈ $963/hd at 472 lb · 19 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $213.89/cwt +15.64 vs last sale · ≈ $924/hd at 432 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 448 478 436
Feeder cattle 330 330 344
Slaughter cattle 118 148 92

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady to firm. Feeder cattle 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
310–330 325 4 255.00–285.00 $277.85 $903 —
360–390 375 6 265.00–275.00 $269.80 $1,012 —
410–420 419 9 230.00–240.00 $231.09 $968 +5.94
460–485 473 6 220.00–225.00 $222.44 $1,052 +4.98
515–530 520 3 200.00–210.00 $206.60 $1,074 -4.54
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510–535 518 3 180.00–190.00 $183.44 $950 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 328 4 210.00–230.00 $219.62 $720 —
360–375 368 2 210.00–225.00 $217.65 $801 +7.82
420–440 432 10 210.00–220.00 $213.89 $924 +15.64
460–485 472 19 200.00–210.00 $204.10 $963 +7.71
520–540 527 6 205.00–210.00 $206.71 $1,089 +13.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 273 3 200.00–205.00 $201.59 $550 -23.64
360–385 375 5 190.00–200.00 $196.16 $736 +1.55
405–430 425 5 190.00–200.00 $191.91 $816 +13.63
460–485 473 6 170.00–180.00 $175.13 $828 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 2 240.00–250.00 $244.82 $673 +9.00
315–340 325 5 235.00–260.00 $249.54 $811 —
465–485 470 8 190.00–200.00 $192.58 $905 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 4 210.00–220.00 $215.17 $803 —
410–435 421 4 200.00–210.00 $205.07 $863 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 277 3 190.00–200.00 $196.87 $545 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1330 1179 80-85% 34 87.00–95.00 $88.26 $1,041 —
1125–1235 1185 80-85% 11 105.00 $105.00 $1,244 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1085 1026 85-90% 8 65.00–71.00 $67.38 $691 -11.86
1035–1145 1064 85-90% 16 79.00–85.00 $82.00 $872 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1355–1745 1550 75-80% 10 101.00–107.00 $103.62 $1,606 —
1705 1705 75-80% 5 95.00 $95.00 $1,620 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1695 1695 1 120.00 $120.00 $2,034 —
1345–1965 1735 5 111.00–117.00 $112.35 $1,949 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200–235 219 11 100.00–110.00 $104.15 $228 —
255–285 263 4 100.00–110.00 $107.29 $282 —

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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.