Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 2, 2024

231 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 231 407 217
Feeder cattle 206 347 183
Slaughter cattle 25 60 34

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder cattle 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
320–330 325 2 390.00–400.00 $395.08 $1,284 +41.14
370–385 378 2 350.00–395.00 $372.05 $1,406 -7.74
420–440 433 3 315.00–320.00 $316.62 $1,371 -13.20
460–480 470 2 300.00–320.00 $309.79 $1,456 +20.07
510–515 513 3 300.00–305.00 $303.34 $1,556 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–435 427 3 280.00–310.00 $290.20 $1,239 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 320 6 290.00–300.00 $296.46 $949 +11.38
360–380 371 7 270.00–290.00 $278.31 $1,033 -8.18
410–435 423 4 270.00–290.00 $279.70 $1,183 +10.34
470–485 478 6 260.00–270.00 $265.08 $1,267 -3.46
520–540 530 2 260.00–265.00 $262.55 $1,392 —
745 745 2 195.00 $195.00 $1,453 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 329 7 290.00–295.00 $292.05 $961 +41.75
360–380 370 4 250.00–255.00 $252.43 $934 -8.06
420–435 426 5 230.00–240.00 $235.92 $1,005 -22.38
460–495 478 6 245.00–255.00 $249.93 $1,195 -8.89
530–540 533 3 240.00–250.00 $246.63 $1,315 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 326 5 295.00–310.00 $304.39 $992 —
360–385 373 4 275.00–300.00 $287.08 $1,071 —
420–440 432 5 260.00–280.00 $267.78 $1,157 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 331 4 370.00–395.00 $375.75 $1,244 —
360–385 373 4 300.00–320.00 $309.66 $1,155 -41.04
470–485 480 3 270.00–300.00 $290.21 $1,393 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 321 4 275.00–290.00 $278.97 $895 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1360 1226 80-85% 7 123.00–128.00 $126.58 $1,552 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555–1830 1712 7 159.00–163.00 $161.44 $2,764 —
1675–2260 1944 4 147.00–155.00 $152.04 $2,956 —

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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.