Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 20, 2024

760 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $255.10/cwt ≈ $1,196/hd at 469 lb · 38 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $246.45/cwt -8.91 vs last sale · ≈ $1,291/hd at 524 lb · 37 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $225.62/cwt -9.96 vs last sale · ≈ $1,263/hd at 560 lb · 23 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 760 573 456
Feeder cattle 660 523 366
Slaughter cattle 73 24 58
Replacement cattle 27 26 32

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows 1.00 to 3.00 lower. Feeder cattle 5.00 to 10.00 lower. Feeder and replacement cows' 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
310–330 320 2 355.00–370.00 $362.73 $1,161 -27.84
355–385 383 12 277.50–312.50 $280.21 $1,073 —
420–440 429 9 265.00–272.50 $269.08 $1,154 -17.33
455–485 469 38 250.00–260.00 $255.10 $1,196 —
510–540 524 37 242.50–250.00 $246.45 $1,291 -8.91
565–580 570 23 240.00–250.00 $246.46 $1,405 -5.47
610–620 616 8 230.00–240.00 $235.64 $1,452 +0.67
675–685 680 6 225.00–227.50 $226.24 $1,538 +0.43
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–390 380 6 255.00–270.00 $263.62 $1,002 -26.83
410–440 425 6 230.00–250.00 $239.65 $1,019 -15.58
460–485 474 14 230.00–240.00 $234.16 $1,110 —
520–540 530 6 232.50–240.00 $236.18 $1,252 -2.93
560–585 581 14 225.00–230.00 $225.69 $1,311 -8.47

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275–280 278 3 275.00–280.00 $278.35 $774 —
360–380 367 3 250.00–260.00 $253.45 $930 -6.91
410–440 428 5 235.00–244.00 $238.45 $1,021 -5.21
455–485 479 10 235.00–240.00 $235.95 $1,130 -9.50
510–540 533 20 227.50–235.00 $229.30 $1,222 -8.28
555–585 560 23 220.00–230.00 $225.62 $1,263 -9.96
600–635 619 7 212.50–220.00 $216.78 $1,342 -15.73
625–645 638 3 230.00–235.00 $231.63 $1,478 +35.34
670–680 675 2 215.00–220.00 $217.52 $1,468 -13.68
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–290 272 10 250.00–255.00 $252.13 $686 —
305–345 319 7 225.00–245.00 $236.05 $753 -19.10
360–380 373 6 230.00–237.50 $232.41 $867 -5.17
420–445 433 18 222.50–232.50 $227.36 $984 -9.45
470–490 488 8 225.00–230.00 $225.60 $1,101 —
510–540 525 6 220.00–225.00 $222.43 $1,168 -9.55
560–580 569 7 205.00–212.50 $209.22 $1,190 +6.99

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–240 230 2 345.00–360.00 $352.83 $812 —
260–285 273 9 355.00–365.00 $359.51 $981 —
360–385 373 2 265.00–295.00 $279.50 $1,043 —
515–540 528 6 235.00–245.00 $239.88 $1,267 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–445 434 7 230.00–237.50 $233.11 $1,012 -14.40
460–470 465 2 230.00–240.00 $235.05 $1,093 +2.50

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1205 1191 80-85% 19 133.00–140.00 $135.98 $1,620 -14.64
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1170 1080 85-90% 10 123.00–132.00 $128.10 $1,383 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370–1575 1507 75-80% 9 130.00–137.00 $134.88 $2,033 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1700–1995 1843 3 168.00–175.00 $171.14 $3,154 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1130–1140 1139 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 9 150.00–170.00 $152.20 $1,734

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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.