Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 12, 2023

601 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $270.95/cwt ≈ $1,013/hd at 374 lb · 19 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $220.67/cwt -0.28 vs last sale · ≈ $960/hd at 435 lb · 14 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $224.44/cwt +1.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,050/hd at 468 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 601 479 643
Feeder cattle 541 420 573
Slaughter cattle 60 59 70

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder cattle steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–440 434 12 235.00–240.00 $238.80 $1,036 -5.82
460–475 471 7 230.00–240.00 $237.21 $1,117 -3.76
520–540 535 8 215.00–230.00 $226.36 $1,211 -6.32
560–585 577 9 215.00–225.00 $221.76 $1,280 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–295 281 5 290.00–300.00 $295.11 $829 —
420–430 425 2 260.00–265.00 $262.53 $1,116 -18.34
460–485 469 4 255.00 $255.00 $1,196 -10.57
510–540 533 8 235.00–245.00 $242.61 $1,293 -5.58
560–565 563 2 230.00–235.00 $232.51 $1,309 -9.86

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 371 11 220.00–235.00 $227.07 $842 -0.36
405–440 435 14 220.00–225.00 $220.67 $960 -0.28
455–485 468 14 220.00–230.00 $224.44 $1,050 +1.86
520–540 531 14 210.00–222.50 $217.26 $1,154 -3.08
560–590 575 6 210.00–215.00 $212.43 $1,221 -0.03
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 327 9 220.00–230.00 $223.47 $731 +2.25
360–385 373 8 210.00–220.00 $215.17 $803 +11.61
420–435 431 7 205.00–215.00 $212.21 $915 +5.90
455–485 473 10 210.00–220.00 $216.15 $1,022 —
515–530 518 10 195.00–210.00 $206.93 $1,072 +18.37
570–590 580 4 185.00–200.00 $192.37 $1,116 +14.95

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–335 320 4 280.00–300.00 $289.53 $926 —
360–390 374 19 265.00–275.00 $270.95 $1,013 —
460–485 471 11 240.00–250.00 $244.68 $1,152 -9.22
510–540 525 6 220.00–230.00 $225.14 $1,182 -16.47
570–585 578 6 210.00 $210.00 $1,214 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–335 325 3 245.00–250.00 $248.28 $807 —
360–385 368 3 240.00–250.00 $246.52 $907 —
410–445 417 5 240.00–250.00 $242.13 $1,010 —
520–540 532 5 210.00–220.00 $216.09 $1,150 —
570–585 580 3 195.00–205.00 $201.72 $1,170 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1205 1129 85-90% 11 81.00–85.00 $82.94 $936 -0.66
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130–1395 1291 80-85% 8 90.00–95.00 $91.22 $1,178 —
1325–1395 1360 80-85% 2 97.00–102.00 $99.44 $1,352 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235 1235 75-80% 3 88.00 $88.00 $1,087 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1695 1513 4 109.00–118.00 $111.78 $1,691 —

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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.