Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 19, 2023

299 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $269.46/cwt -20.07 vs last sale · ≈ $870/hd at 323 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 299 601 0
Feeder cattle 240 541 0
Slaughter cattle 45 60 0
Replacement cattle 14 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder cattle 1.00 to 3.00 lower in light test. Feeder and replacement cows firm.

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
420–440 432 5 225.00–245.00 $232.78 $1,006 -6.02
455–470 463 2 225.00–240.00 $232.38 $1,076 -4.83
510–520 512 5 210.00–212.50 $210.51 $1,078 -15.85
560–585 568 6 200.00–210.00 $206.57 $1,173 -15.19
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–385 374 4 265.00–275.00 $267.58 $1,001 —
680–685 683 2 180.00–185.00 $182.51 $1,247 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–335 330 7 200.00–210.00 $201.30 $664 -22.17
365–380 372 9 200.00–215.00 $206.82 $769 -8.35
420–425 423 3 210.00–220.00 $216.69 $917 +4.48
470–485 478 4 200.00–210.00 $204.92 $980 -11.23
520–545 526 4 185.00–200.00 $196.12 $1,032 -10.81
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–290 280 4 235.00–245.00 $239.82 $671 —
305–340 333 5 230.00–245.00 $232.75 $775 —
370–375 373 2 245.00–250.00 $247.52 $923 +20.45
410–435 423 2 230.00–240.00 $234.85 $993 +14.18

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 323 12 260.00–280.00 $269.46 $870 -20.07
360–390 375 4 255.00–265.00 $259.80 $974 -11.15
420–445 438 5 240.00–250.00 $245.94 $1,077 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 268 2 250.00–255.00 $252.57 $677 —
310–330 320 4 245.00–250.00 $247.42 $792 -0.86
405 405 2 220.00–230.00 $225.00 $911 -17.13

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1195 1036 85-90% 15 79.00–88.00 $83.15 $861 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995–1165 1063 80-85% 5 94.00–102.00 $98.49 $1,047 —
1310 1310 80-85% 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,493 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1710–1945 1828 75-80% 2 98.00–102.00 $100.13 $1,830 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–2275 1579 6 125.00–131.00 $127.10 $2,007 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
900–1135 1034 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 115.00–127.50 $119.77 $1,238

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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.