Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 22, 2023

456 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $218.04/cwt +5.07 vs last sale · ≈ $1,220/hd at 559 lb · 36 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $235.05/cwt -2.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,208/hd at 514 lb · 36 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $218.77/cwt -1.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,450/hd at 663 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 456 603 677
Feeder cattle 366 552 605
Slaughter cattle 58 51 72
Replacement cattle 32 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls 2.00 to 5.00 lower. Feeder cattle steady to 2.00 higher. Replacement type cows 3.00 to 6.00 higher.

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
265–290 282 6 285.00–310.00 $292.84 $826 —
310–340 323 7 285.00–335.00 $307.57 $993 +5.77
360–380 367 9 260.00–285.00 $268.64 $986 -29.62
420–440 425 4 250.00–260.00 $252.59 $1,074 -2.32
505–540 514 36 225.00–238.00 $235.05 $1,208 -2.39
650–665 663 13 217.50–219.00 $218.77 $1,450 -1.01
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–335 325 3 250.00–260.00 $253.44 $824 —
405–440 425 3 220.00–225.00 $223.31 $949 -9.90
460–480 473 3 230.00–240.00 $236.76 $1,120 +26.89

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–270 263 3 280.00–290.00 $283.42 $745 —
305–335 323 5 240.00–250.00 $246.22 $795 —
360–385 375 10 232.00–245.00 $240.01 $900 -9.79
415–440 423 9 235.00–240.00 $236.73 $1,001 +3.55
465–470 468 2 215.00–235.00 $225.05 $1,053 -2.71
505–535 520 2 215.00–220.00 $217.57 $1,131 -3.15
550–580 552 28 210.00–215.00 $214.62 $1,185 +1.65
585 585 8 230.00 $230.00 $1,346 +17.03
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 331 8 220.00–230.00 $222.30 $736 +5.77
370–395 383 2 215.00–220.00 $217.58 $833 —
410–440 420 6 205.00–215.00 $208.49 $876 -3.25
480–490 485 4 190.00–205.00 $197.58 $958 —
585–590 588 4 170.00–180.00 $174.98 $1,029 -8.41

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–335 328 2 285.00–295.00 $290.11 $952 —
505–515 513 8 225.00–230.00 $228.77 $1,174 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 322 5 247.00–258.00 $251.65 $810 —
405–430 413 3 200.00–210.00 $206.53 $853 -8.32
460–465 463 2 210.00–215.00 $212.51 $984 +7.62

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1115–1345 1196 80-85% 24 96.00–104.00 $98.60 $1,179 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1140 1050 85-90% 10 89.00–95.00 $91.61 $962 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1655 1533 75-80% 2 109.00–111.00 $110.08 $1,688 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1635–1985 1810 2 118.00–122.00 $119.81 $2,169 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
905 905 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 9 99.00–112.50 $108.00 $977
860–1075 978 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 122.50–135.00 $129.18 $1,263

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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.