Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 17, 2023

909 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 steers $276.66/cwt -21.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,004/hd at 363 lb · 16 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $217.73/cwt -8.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,047/hd at 481 lb · 14 head
light 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $215.45/cwt +10.72 vs last sale · ≈ $689/hd at 320 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 909 1,045 754
Feeder cattle 790 900 650
Slaughter cattle 104 145 104
Replacement cattle 15 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to the previous week: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle steady to weak. Feeder and replacement cows 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
310–345 324 12 270.00–300.00 $287.32 $931 —
360–370 363 16 270.00–295.00 $276.66 $1,004 -21.24
410–420 415 2 260.00–270.00 $264.94 $1,100 +13.81
460–485 473 8 255.00–265.00 $259.87 $1,229 +15.12
510–540 535 13 240.00–250.00 $241.47 $1,292 +9.02
570–590 580 4 230.00–240.00 $234.91 $1,362 +3.15
610–645 623 6 210.00–225.00 $214.97 $1,339 -11.22
650–685 669 9 205.00–230.00 $217.28 $1,454 +0.61
716–745 730 6 190.00–200.00 $191.67 $1,399 -4.97
765–795 773 5 195.00–220.00 $213.96 $1,654 +18.96
860 860 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,720 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 273 3 225.00–245.00 $231.34 $632 —
360–385 375 5 255.00–265.00 $261.16 $979 +23.86
410–445 433 3 220.00–230.00 $223.15 $966 —
505–535 525 3 210.00–220.00 $213.21 $1,119 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–240 230 4 210.00–225.00 $217.17 $499 —
260–285 278 11 210.00–230.00 $215.10 $598 —
305–340 320 14 210.00–220.00 $215.45 $689 +10.72
370–390 386 14 195.00–205.00 $197.06 $761 -1.65
405–440 421 8 185.00–200.00 $196.30 $826 +14.12
460–490 474 12 185.00–195.00 $193.35 $916 +3.49
505–530 518 6 185.00–200.00 $192.68 $998 -4.60
560–585 568 9 175.00–180.00 $178.28 $1,013 +5.91
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 4 240.00–245.00 $242.42 $904 +19.30
405–440 426 5 215.00–230.00 $220.70 $940 -6.69
460–485 481 14 215.00–235.00 $217.73 $1,047 -8.12
510–540 525 6 195.00–210.00 $202.29 $1,062 -11.13
530–540 535 4 220.00–240.00 $230.09 $1,231 +16.67
560–580 570 2 205.00–210.00 $207.46 $1,183 -9.07

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–240 223 4 265.00–295.00 $278.82 $622 —
255–280 263 3 240.00–245.00 $243.23 $640 —
310–340 327 7 260.00–280.00 $268.12 $877 +15.91
360–390 372 5 255.00–265.00 $260.81 $970 -6.93
420–430 425 2 240.00–245.00 $242.47 $1,030 -4.25
455–480 468 4 220.00–225.00 $222.43 $1,041 —
510–540 519 7 225.00–230.00 $226.49 $1,175 -5.11
622 622 2 205.00 $205.00 $1,275 —
655–680 663 5 195.00–210.00 $202.98 $1,346 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 228 4 240.00–250.00 $245.16 $559 —
320–345 335 5 240.00 $240.00 $804 +15.00
380–385 383 6 210.00–220.00 $214.97 $823 -12.60
465–485 476 6 205.00–215.00 $209.08 $995 +5.18
505–530 511 8 210.00–215.00 $211.30 $1,080 +13.09

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025 1025 85-90% 4 71.00 $71.00 $728 -5.27
990–1170 1080 85-90% 17 74.00–79.00 $76.11 $822 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1265 1178 80-85% 3 92.00–95.00 $93.07 $1,096 —
1185–1245 1221 80-85% 10 82.00–87.00 $83.94 $1,025 -1.38
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1505–1610 1584 75-80% 5 87.00–89.00 $87.58 $1,387 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1865 1382 9 106.00–115.00 $109.52 $1,514 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1085–1135 1106 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 7 85.00–91.00 $88.36 $977

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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.