Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 26, 2024

407 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $269.36/cwt -35.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,161/hd at 431 lb · 17 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $260.49/cwt -1.67 vs last sale · ≈ $985/hd at 378 lb · 13 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $258.30/cwt ≈ $1,095/hd at 424 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 407 313 429
Feeder cattle 347 265 368
Slaughter cattle 60 48 61

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Feeder cattle 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
320–340 325 4 280.00–305.00 $298.46 $970 -50.65
360–385 379 8 280.00–305.00 $285.94 $1,084 -16.10
460–485 473 4 277.50–300.00 $288.45 $1,364 —
520–540 533 6 250.00–270.00 $256.50 $1,367 —
560–580 573 3 250.00–255.00 $251.63 $1,442 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 327 5 350.00–360.00 $353.94 $1,157 —
350–360 355 2 365.00–395.00 $379.79 $1,348 +43.36
410–440 425 2 325.00–335.00 $329.82 $1,402 -0.02
460–480 473 3 280.00–310.00 $289.72 $1,370 -25.15

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 333 5 275.00–330.00 $285.08 $949 -13.08
370–385 380 6 280.00–300.00 $286.49 $1,089 -26.47
410–440 431 17 265.00–280.00 $269.36 $1,161 -35.36
470–485 474 7 265.00–270.00 $268.54 $1,273 -9.00
560–580 567 3 245.00–250.00 $248.29 $1,408 -16.75
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–345 335 3 240.00–270.00 $250.30 $839 -44.74
360–390 378 13 255.00–270.00 $260.49 $985 -1.67
405–435 424 11 250.00–265.00 $258.30 $1,095 —
460–480 471 8 250.00–265.00 $258.82 $1,219 -2.73
560–580 570 2 230.00–240.00 $234.91 $1,339 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 374 9 340.00–365.00 $350.70 $1,312 +6.10
410–440 420 3 310.00–320.00 $316.51 $1,329 -13.31
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–280 268 3 300.00–330.00 $320.50 $859 -22.45
460–480 468 5 250.00–280.00 $262.31 $1,228 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125–1285 1183 80-85% 11 124.00–134.00 $126.54 $1,497 —
1195–1485 1389 80-85% 4 140.00–149.00 $145.14 $2,016 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1185 1123 85-90% 8 99.00–106.00 $102.69 $1,153 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1610–1785 1716 75-80% 4 125.00–133.00 $127.14 $2,182 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2000 2000 1 160.00 $160.00 $3,200 —

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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.