Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 12, 2024

370 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $339.39/cwt -8.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,117/hd at 329 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 370 310 449
Feeder cattle 240 260 419
Slaughter cattle 90 28 30
Replacement cattle 40 22 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Feeder cattle steady to 2.00 higher. Feeder and replacement cows steady.

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
315–330 321 7 360.00–395.00 $375.40 $1,205 +35.18
360–380 365 8 340.00–345.00 $343.70 $1,255 +31.97
405–430 418 6 315.00–320.00 $317.57 $1,327 +17.02
455–480 465 6 300.00–325.00 $316.85 $1,473 +3.34
520–540 530 2 280.00–285.00 $282.45 $1,497 -10.11
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–240 233 3 300.00–330.00 $320.57 $747 —
330–345 337 3 280.00–320.00 $293.66 $990 -5.84
360–380 370 6 305.00–320.00 $312.70 $1,157 +5.18
420–440 430 4 270.00–300.00 $284.65 $1,224 +11.37
515–540 523 8 220.00–235.00 $223.87 $1,171 —
610–625 618 2 240.00–250.00 $245.06 $1,514 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–440 428 8 270.00–280.00 $275.15 $1,178 +13.98
460–480 470 4 255.00–275.00 $265.21 $1,246 -4.92
525–535 528 3 265.00–270.00 $266.69 $1,408 +4.17
560–580 570 2 250.00–260.00 $255.09 $1,454 +2.66
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 333 6 250.00–265.00 $260.20 $866 +11.76
420–440 430 4 245.00–250.00 $247.44 $1,064 +4.87

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 329 11 330.00–350.00 $339.39 $1,117 -8.15
360–380 368 5 300.00–320.00 $308.26 $1,134 —
405–430 418 2 290.00–315.00 $302.87 $1,266 +0.89
455–485 470 2 280.00–295.00 $287.26 $1,350 -3.59
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 333 3 265.00–300.00 $288.80 $962 +1.20
370–375 373 2 270.00–275.00 $272.52 $1,016 +19.07
460–480 470 4 230.00–260.00 $244.68 $1,150 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1115–1310 1175 80-85% 13 119.00–126.00 $121.40 $1,426 +4.47
1115–1310 1213 80-85% 4 129.00–131.00 $130.08 $1,578 —
1120–1310 1215 80-85% 8 108.00–113.00 $110.70 $1,345 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1210 1193 85-90% 12 99.00–108.00 $103.43 $1,234 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1440 1288 75-80% 7 110.00–119.00 $115.75 $1,491 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1375–1595 1485 2 139.00–144.00 $141.69 $2,104 —

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Bred Cows

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
730–765 753 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 130.00–150.00 $136.46 $1,028

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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.