Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 5, 2023

479 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $220.95/cwt -13.90 vs last sale · ≈ $961/hd at 435 lb · 25 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $206.31/cwt +3.65 vs last sale · ≈ $885/hd at 429 lb · 22 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $265.57/cwt +24.18 vs last sale · ≈ $1,283/hd at 483 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 479 521 709
Feeder cattle 420 450 630
Slaughter cattle 59 71 79

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle firm.

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
305–340 323 2 325.00–335.00 $329.73 $1,065 +48.32
360–385 382 8 280.00–300.00 $282.36 $1,079 +19.14
400–440 429 5 275.00–290.00 $280.87 $1,205 +35.88
470–490 483 14 260.00–280.00 $265.57 $1,283 +24.18
505–540 528 12 245.00–255.00 $248.19 $1,310 +14.30
555–590 569 10 235.00–250.00 $242.37 $1,379 +7.99
615–645 639 7 220.00–235.00 $228.63 $1,461 —
655–680 664 5 220.00–230.00 $226.96 $1,507 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–330 320 2 260.00–275.00 $267.27 $855 —
370–385 376 5 260.00–270.00 $264.10 $993 +36.55
420–440 429 13 240.00–255.00 $244.62 $1,049 +29.79
460–475 474 10 240.00–250.00 $240.97 $1,142 +20.19
510–535 523 4 225.00–240.00 $232.68 $1,217 +18.82

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–230 224 4 270.00–280.00 $272.29 $610 —
270–275 273 6 240.00–250.00 $243.29 $664 —
315–340 328 4 230.00–235.00 $232.60 $763 —
360–380 370 4 225.00–230.00 $227.43 $841 —
410–440 435 25 220.00–225.00 $220.95 $961 -13.90
460–490 475 2 220.00–225.00 $222.58 $1,057 -0.61
515–540 526 11 215.00–225.00 $220.34 $1,159 +4.50
560–580 570 6 210.00–215.00 $212.46 $1,211 +7.34
630–635 633 2 185.00–195.00 $190.02 $1,203 +10.02
655–665 660 2 175.00–180.00 $177.48 $1,171 +9.10
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235–245 238 3 250.00–260.00 $253.43 $603 —
305–315 313 8 220.00–225.00 $221.22 $692 +19.51
360–385 379 12 200.00–215.00 $203.56 $771 +11.36
420–440 429 22 200.00–210.00 $206.31 $885 +3.65
505–540 531 4 185.00–200.00 $188.56 $1,001 +13.20
550–575 569 4 175.00–185.00 $177.42 $1,010 +5.76

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230–240 233 3 295.00–310.00 $300.14 $699 —
260–290 270 11 280.00–320.00 $300.83 $812 —
415–445 430 8 260.00–270.00 $264.85 $1,139 +20.06
455–475 467 5 250.00–260.00 $253.90 $1,186 +31.39
515–530 522 3 235.00–245.00 $241.61 $1,261 +7.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–240 228 5 265.00–295.00 $282.37 $644 —
260–280 270 8 275.00–295.00 $285.00 $770 +27.71
460–470 468 4 230.00–235.00 $231.23 $1,082 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1220 1129 85-90% 9 80.00–86.00 $83.60 $944 +3.28
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1275 1221 80-85% 5 87.00–94.00 $90.33 $1,103 +0.70
1200–1235 1223 80-85% 3 97.00–102.00 $100.37 $1,228 +10.74
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1400 1393 75-80% 2 89.00–94.00 $91.51 $1,275 —
1455–1500 1488 75-80% 4 97.00–102.00 $98.47 $1,465 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1575–1655 1615 2 114.00–115.00 $114.49 $1,849 —

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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.