Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 15, 2023

603 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $237.44/cwt +6.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,254/hd at 528 lb · 28 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $220.72/cwt -7.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,172/hd at 531 lb · 25 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $224.40/cwt +0.96 vs last sale · ≈ $1,429/hd at 637 lb · 20 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 603 757 563
Feeder cattle 552 700 500
Slaughter cattle 51 29 63
Replacement cattle — 28 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls 2.00 to 4.00 higher. 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
310–330 323 3 295.00–305.00 $301.80 $975 -4.94
360–385 368 3 295.00–300.00 $298.26 $1,098 +13.60
415–430 423 4 250.00–260.00 $254.91 $1,078 -8.46
457 457 9 248.00 $248.00 $1,133 +9.20
509–542 528 28 230.00–244.00 $237.44 $1,254 +6.15
560–596 584 19 229.00–237.50 $231.08 $1,350 -1.11
615–640 637 20 215.00–230.00 $224.40 $1,429 +0.96
655–685 670 2 210.00–230.00 $219.78 $1,473 +9.83
720–745 733 3 190.00–200.00 $196.66 $1,442 -12.68
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–445 437 6 230.00–240.00 $233.21 $1,019 +11.21
460–485 473 4 205.00–215.00 $209.87 $993 +1.67
520–540 530 2 210.00–220.00 $214.91 $1,139 +18.75
570–585 580 3 195.00–205.00 $198.28 $1,150 +5.70

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–395 380 2 245.00–255.00 $249.80 $949 +19.17
410–440 434 18 230.00–245.00 $233.18 $1,012 +11.05
455–478 461 16 220.00–230.00 $227.76 $1,050 +11.48
520–540 531 25 215.00–230.00 $220.72 $1,172 -6.92
565–580 571 5 210.00–215.00 $212.97 $1,216 -24.50
610–645 629 4 200.00–230.00 $207.69 $1,306 —
656–690 664 15 190.00–210.00 $199.36 $1,324 +19.36
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 332 6 210.00–220.00 $216.53 $719 —
420–435 430 3 205.00–215.00 $211.74 $910 +25.23
520–545 526 8 195.00–200.00 $196.29 $1,032 +0.34
570–585 575 3 180.00–190.00 $183.39 $1,054 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 375 4 260.00–270.00 $264.80 $993 —
460–495 470 5 230.00–235.00 $231.05 $1,086 -5.85
560–585 568 3 215.00–220.00 $218.28 $1,240 -8.29
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–430 418 2 210.00–220.00 $214.85 $898 +5.85
460–480 470 4 200.00–210.00 $204.89 $963 -10.72

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1365 1211 80-85% 6 104.00–111.00 $109.68 $1,328 —
1285–1315 1312 80-85% 9 117.00–122.00 $117.54 $1,542 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555–1590 1569 5 123.00–128.00 $125.03 $1,962 —

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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.