Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 9, 2024

407 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $247.28/cwt +11.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,071/hd at 433 lb · 20 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $260.16/cwt -4.92 vs last sale · ≈ $1,223/hd at 470 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $277.75/cwt -25.59 vs last sale · ≈ $1,453/hd at 523 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 407 231 424
Feeder cattle 376 206 396
Slaughter cattle 31 25 28

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle mostly steady in light test. Feeder cattle fully 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
365–380 373 2 325.00–370.00 $347.95 $1,298 -24.10
410–425 418 2 285.00–295.00 $290.09 $1,213 -26.53
460–485 477 15 280.00–300.00 $293.57 $1,400 -16.22
505–540 523 16 270.00–285.00 $277.75 $1,453 -25.59
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 4 270.00–300.00 $285.50 $1,065 —
410–440 425 14 275.00–290.00 $282.76 $1,202 -7.44
460–475 469 5 260.00–270.00 $266.08 $1,248 —
510–540 526 8 250.00–260.00 $255.11 $1,342 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 277 3 270.00–300.00 $290.60 $805 —
320–340 331 7 260.00–290.00 $277.59 $919 -14.46
360–385 380 10 250.00–260.00 $251.89 $957 -0.54
425–440 433 20 235.00–260.00 $247.28 $1,071 +11.36
455–485 470 8 225.00–245.00 $235.32 $1,106 -14.61
525–540 529 8 200.00–220.00 $214.89 $1,137 -31.74
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–375 368 2 265.00–280.00 $272.65 $1,003 -5.66
420–440 431 15 260.00–275.00 $268.17 $1,156 -11.53
455–485 470 16 255.00–265.00 $260.16 $1,223 -4.92
515–545 531 13 250.00–260.00 $259.25 $1,377 -3.30

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 270 2 345.00–360.00 $352.78 $953 —
360–380 370 6 330.00–340.00 $335.14 $1,240 +25.48
460–485 473 6 250.00–270.00 $260.26 $1,231 -29.95
520–535 530 3 235.00–250.00 $239.91 $1,272 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–280 275 2 270.00–300.00 $284.73 $783 —
355–385 370 6 270.00–280.00 $275.20 $1,018 -11.88
420–435 426 4 270.00–280.00 $275.07 $1,172 +7.29
560–585 568 3 230.00–240.00 $233.43 $1,326 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1175 1106 85-90% 5 107.00–111.00 $109.30 $1,209 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1210 1170 80-85% 3 126.00 $126.00 $1,474 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1400–1690 1545 2 127.00–132.00 $129.73 $2,004 —
1695 1695 1 152.00 $152.00 $2,576 —

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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.