Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 30, 2024

213 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $271.27/cwt +16.54 vs last sale · ≈ $895/hd at 330 lb · 10 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $265.87/cwt +16.59 vs last sale · ≈ $1,005/hd at 378 lb · 10 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $240.96/cwt +5.93 vs last sale · ≈ $1,055/hd at 438 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 213 242 248
Feeder cattle 170 202 180
Slaughter cattle 32 40 57
Replacement cattle 11 — 11

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle sharply lower. Feeder cattle mostly steady. Replacement cows 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
310–340 333 4 270.00–300.00 $276.99 $922 -30.91
410–415 413 2 270.00–285.00 $277.55 $1,146 —
460–470 468 4 255.00–265.00 $257.46 $1,205 +14.84
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–370 368 3 320.00–335.00 $330.05 $1,215 -37.62
520–540 533 3 285.00–295.00 $288.25 $1,536 —
560–565 563 2 280.00–285.00 $282.49 $1,590 +27.63

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 330 10 265.00–280.00 $271.27 $895 +16.54
370–390 378 10 260.00–270.00 $265.87 $1,005 +16.59
420–440 438 10 240.00–250.00 $240.96 $1,055 +5.93
460–485 473 2 225.00–235.00 $230.13 $1,089 —
505–545 537 5 220.00–230.00 $221.88 $1,191 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–440 421 4 265.00–270.00 $267.58 $1,127 +15.71
455–460 458 2 260.00–265.00 $262.49 $1,202 +18.78
510–540 525 4 245.00–250.00 $247.57 $1,300 +7.50
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–425 416 5 220.00–230.00 $224.09 $932 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 262 7 350.00–360.00 $351.50 $921 +28.00
360–370 367 7 315.00–335.00 $320.60 $1,177 -4.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 380 5 285.00–310.00 $289.74 $1,101 +17.11
460–485 468 6 250.00–260.00 $256.55 $1,201 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1160 1103 85-90% 14 103.00–111.00 $107.21 $1,183 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1445 1325 80-85% 3 118.00–128.00 $125.27 $1,660 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–1660 1550 2 129.00–132.00 $130.61 $2,024 —
1595 1595 1 139.00 $139.00 $2,217 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
795–850 813 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 150.00–160.00 $156.52 $1,273

↑ Back to top

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.