Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 19, 2024

313 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $329.84/cwt +12.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,415/hd at 429 lb · 13 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $262.16/cwt ≈ $970/hd at 370 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 313 370 372
Feeder cattle 265 240 317
Slaughter cattle 48 90 55
Replacement cattle — 40 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle firm. Feeder cattle mostly 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
360–380 373 3 330.00–350.00 $336.43 $1,255 -7.27
410–440 429 13 320.00–345.00 $329.84 $1,415 +12.27
460–470 464 5 300.00–325.00 $314.87 $1,461 -1.98
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–330 324 4 330.00–355.00 $349.11 $1,131 +55.45
360–375 368 2 280.00–325.00 $302.04 $1,112 -10.66
410–440 430 3 275.00–305.00 $284.53 $1,223 -0.12
625–645 640 4 225.00–230.00 $226.22 $1,448 -18.84
680–685 683 2 225.00–240.00 $232.47 $1,588 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 268 3 310.00–320.00 $316.46 $848 —
320–330 327 3 290.00–315.00 $298.16 $975 —
360–385 377 3 305.00–330.00 $312.96 $1,180 —
410–440 427 7 290.00–315.00 $304.72 $1,301 +29.57
460–475 468 2 275.00–280.00 $277.54 $1,299 +12.33
520–540 530 4 265.00–270.00 $267.45 $1,417 +0.76
560–570 565 2 260.00–270.00 $265.04 $1,497 +9.95
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 268 2 280.00–300.00 $290.28 $778 —
320–325 323 2 290.00–300.00 $295.04 $953 +34.84
360–380 370 10 250.00–275.00 $262.16 $970 —
460–485 468 3 255.00–265.00 $261.55 $1,224 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–220 213 2 300.00–325.00 $312.94 $667 —
260–285 273 4 390.00–395.00 $392.61 $1,072 —
320–340 335 4 360.00–400.00 $369.55 $1,238 +30.16
365–385 375 2 330.00–360.00 $344.60 $1,292 +36.34
405–420 413 2 320.00–340.00 $329.82 $1,362 +26.95
460–485 473 2 290.00–295.00 $292.43 $1,383 +5.17
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–290 280 2 330.00–355.00 $342.95 $960 —
305–310 307 5 325.00–340.00 $333.94 $1,025 +45.14
410–445 433 3 285.00–305.00 $291.31 $1,261 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–1630 1511 75-80% 8 129.00–136.00 $133.17 $2,012 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1255 1227 80-85% 5 129.00–134.00 $130.93 $1,607 +20.23

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1545 1478 2 133.00–136.00 $134.57 $1,989 -7.12
1495 1495 1 160.00 $160.00 $2,392 +18.31

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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.