Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 5, 2024

310 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $261.17/cwt +2.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,118/hd at 428 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 310 440 316
Feeder cattle 260 312 244
Slaughter cattle 28 68 72
Replacement cattle 22 60 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle steady. Replacement type cows 2.00 to 4.00 lower.

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
330–345 338 2 330.00–350.00 $340.22 $1,150 —
360–380 367 3 310.00–315.00 $311.73 $1,144 -69.31
405–430 426 6 295.00–330.00 $300.55 $1,280 -34.36
460–475 465 3 305.00–330.00 $313.51 $1,458 —
510–535 523 2 290.00–295.00 $292.56 $1,530 —
620–645 633 2 260.00–270.00 $264.90 $1,677 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 332 3 290.00–320.00 $299.50 $994 -62.20
360–365 363 2 305.00–310.00 $307.52 $1,116 -6.30
420–440 427 3 270.00–275.00 $273.28 $1,167 —
470–485 478 2 270.00–280.00 $274.92 $1,314 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 320 3 270.00–275.00 $271.77 $870 —
420–440 428 10 255.00–270.00 $261.17 $1,118 +2.19
460–485 473 6 265.00–275.00 $270.13 $1,278 +16.78
510–520 515 2 260.00–265.00 $262.52 $1,352 —
555–585 570 2 250.00–255.00 $252.43 $1,439 +7.34
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–335 325 3 245.00–250.00 $248.44 $807 -2.47
410–435 423 4 240.00–245.00 $242.57 $1,026 -2.87
460–485 471 7 205.00–210.00 $207.79 $979 -32.05

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–330 325 2 345.00–350.00 $347.54 $1,130 -20.07
410–440 420 3 295.00–315.00 $301.98 $1,268 —
460–470 462 6 290.00–295.00 $290.85 $1,344 -12.58
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–330 318 2 285.00–290.00 $287.60 $915 -63.29
365–385 372 3 250.00–260.00 $253.45 $943 -68.35

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1140 1088 85-90% 5 99.00–105.00 $102.77 $1,118 -1.65
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1220 1188 80-85% 5 112.00–120.00 $116.93 $1,389 -4.07
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330–1545 1450 75-80% 4 123.00–131.00 $127.14 $1,844 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1765 1765 1 136.00 $136.00 $2,400 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1015–1100 1060 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 115.00–120.00 $116.73 $1,237

↑ Back to top

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.