Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 27, 2024

440 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $253.35/cwt -3.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,216/hd at 480 lb · 13 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 bulls $321.80/cwt +39.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,207/hd at 375 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 440 434 405
Feeder cattle 312 310 305
Slaughter cattle 68 52 100
Replacement cattle 60 72 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder cattle steady. Feeder and replacement cows 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
305–315 308 6 360.00–365.00 $361.70 $1,114 +70.62
360–380 367 6 300.00–340.00 $313.82 $1,152 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–385 369 5 380.00–385.00 $381.04 $1,406 —
405–420 413 2 330.00–340.00 $334.91 $1,383 +17.56
715–735 727 3 230.00–237.50 $234.20 $1,703 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 270 4 270.00–280.00 $275.19 $743 +28.67
325–345 329 6 245.00–260.00 $250.91 $825 -23.90
360–380 370 8 230.00–245.00 $238.58 $883 -0.23
410–430 419 9 240.00–250.00 $245.44 $1,028 -2.83
460–490 475 2 235.00–245.00 $239.84 $1,139 —
565–590 578 4 230.00–240.00 $234.89 $1,358 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–430 422 5 255.00–260.00 $258.98 $1,093 -10.84
465–485 480 13 250.00–265.00 $253.35 $1,216 -3.71
560–580 570 4 240.00–250.00 $245.09 $1,397 -2.39

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 320 7 340.00–360.00 $350.89 $1,123 +49.24
360–390 375 12 300.00–340.00 $321.80 $1,207 +39.09
425–440 433 4 255.00–275.00 $264.83 $1,147 -7.71
505–535 515 3 230.00–240.00 $236.54 $1,218 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–330 326 5 360.00–400.00 $367.61 $1,198 -17.24
360–380 373 3 340.00–360.00 $346.43 $1,292 -3.21
460–480 467 3 300.00–310.00 $303.43 $1,417 +18.98
610–635 618 5 215.00–230.00 $220.02 $1,360 —
660–685 673 2 215.00–220.00 $217.45 $1,463 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1210 1063 85-90% 8 101.00–107.00 $104.42 $1,110 +18.58
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175 1175 80-85% 4 121.00 $121.00 $1,422 -2.00
1195–1285 1225 80-85% 3 125.00–130.00 $126.75 $1,553 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1710 1396 4 124.00–133.00 $127.85 $1,785 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
900–1080 1022 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 135.00–142.50 $138.32 $1,414

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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
1070–1085 1076 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 7 1,500.00–1,725.00 $1,597.20 +65.46

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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.