Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 20, 2024

434 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $294.94/cwt +37.46 vs last sale · ≈ $1,091/hd at 370 lb · 12 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 bulls $282.71/cwt -5.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,080/hd at 382 lb · 11 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 steers $274.11/cwt -21.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,173/hd at 428 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 434 439 201
Feeder cattle 310 369 163
Slaughter cattle 52 55 38
Replacement cattle 72 15 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle unevenly steady. Replacement type 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
315–340 332 3 280.00–315.00 $291.08 $966 —
420–440 428 10 270.00–280.00 $274.11 $1,173 -21.01
460–470 463 3 260.00–280.00 $273.24 $1,265 —
520–535 523 5 250.00–260.00 $252.05 $1,318 +10.59
565–575 572 3 250.00–260.00 $253.35 $1,449 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 3 370.00 $370.00 $1,221 —
420–430 425 2 305.00–330.00 $317.35 $1,349 -35.57
460–480 472 5 300.00–315.00 $305.85 $1,444 -1.54
505–520 513 3 285.00–290.00 $288.33 $1,479 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520–540 532 6 200.00–215.00 $209.97 $1,117 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–285 268 8 275.00–310.00 $296.05 $793 —
305–340 328 3 300.00–330.00 $309.29 $1,014 +54.00
360–385 370 12 270.00–315.00 $294.94 $1,091 +37.46
420–435 428 4 260.00–280.00 $269.82 $1,155 +9.94
460–480 466 7 250.00–260.00 $257.06 $1,198 —
535–540 537 5 245.00–255.00 $250.98 $1,348 +3.54
560–570 565 2 245.00–250.00 $247.48 $1,398 +39.49
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 264 4 240.00–265.00 $246.52 $651 —
320–330 324 5 260.00–285.00 $274.81 $890 —
360–390 378 5 235.00–245.00 $238.81 $903 -10.86
420–445 428 3 245.00–250.00 $248.27 $1,063 —
505–520 515 3 230.00–240.00 $233.27 $1,201 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–270 265 3 280.00–300.00 $286.42 $759 —
320–325 323 6 300.00–305.00 $301.65 $974 —
360–390 382 11 275.00–305.00 $282.71 $1,080 -5.33
420–425 423 4 265.00–280.00 $272.54 $1,153 —
460–465 463 2 250.00–260.00 $255.03 $1,181 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 4 320.00–360.00 $339.27 $933 -123.83
320–340 330 2 380.00–390.00 $384.85 $1,270 —
360–380 367 3 330.00–360.00 $349.64 $1,283 -1.51
420–440 430 4 300.00–315.00 $307.33 $1,322 —
460–495 478 4 270.00–300.00 $284.45 $1,360 +2.55

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1175 1063 85-90% 6 84.00–89.00 $85.84 $912 —
1070–1120 1100 85-90% 5 95.00–101.00 $97.33 $1,071 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1185 1071 80-85% 7 108.00–111.00 $109.42 $1,172 —
1165 1165 80-85% 1 123.00 $123.00 $1,433 -0.55
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1400–1535 1447 75-80% 3 101.00–107.00 $104.88 $1,518 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1375–1685 1572 7 120.00–125.00 $122.50 $1,926 -4.20
2000 2000 1 140.00 $140.00 $2,800 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1005–1075 1045 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 7 117.50–125.00 $121.91 $1,274

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
995–1170 1083 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 16 1,425.00–1,700.00 $1,531.74 —

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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.