Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, September 17, 2024

511 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 2 bulls $224.87/cwt ≈ $1,064/hd at 473 lb · 18 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $215.05/cwt +9.92 vs last sale · ≈ $1,021/hd at 475 lb · 16 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $280.59/cwt +2.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,215/hd at 433 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 511 680 749
Feeder cattle 430 606 620
Slaughter cattle 81 74 129

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle 2.00 to 5.00 lower. Feeder cattle 2.00 to 4.00 lower.

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
360–380 373 3 280.00–310.00 $289.64 $1,080 -8.47
410–435 433 16 280.00–290.00 $280.59 $1,215 +2.87
460–480 476 10 260.00–275.00 $262.90 $1,251 +12.77
510–535 524 9 240.00–250.00 $244.33 $1,280 +1.62
560–580 571 7 235.00–250.00 $241.30 $1,378 +11.23
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–315 310 2 295.00–300.00 $297.54 $922 —
370–390 385 8 270.00–280.00 $272.40 $1,049 —
410–440 428 10 245.00–260.00 $250.75 $1,073 +4.53
460–480 473 6 235.00–250.00 $239.86 $1,135 +19.65
520–540 532 5 230.00–240.00 $233.91 $1,244 —
560–590 573 7 220.00–230.00 $225.59 $1,293 +15.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 273 6 250.00–265.00 $254.76 $695 —
320–345 333 6 230.00–240.00 $234.81 $782 -0.48
360–390 373 14 220.00–230.00 $225.52 $841 +10.32
410–435 428 11 210.00–215.00 $211.31 $904 +0.17
460–490 475 16 210.40–220.00 $215.05 $1,021 +9.92
525–540 533 6 200.00–210.00 $205.07 $1,093 +4.93
560–580 567 3 200.00–210.00 $203.41 $1,153 +0.86
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–380 374 4 235.00–245.00 $237.37 $888 -6.82
410–440 425 2 225.00–235.00 $229.82 $977 -18.05
465–480 475 3 230.00–235.00 $231.63 $1,100 +9.06
520–545 536 9 210.00–225.00 $216.03 $1,158 +3.46

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–240 230 4 260.00–275.00 $267.17 $614 —
315–340 328 6 280.00–300.00 $289.62 $950 —
420–440 432 5 230.00–245.00 $235.83 $1,019 —
460–485 473 18 220.00–230.00 $224.87 $1,064 —
505–540 523 6 200.00–210.00 $204.83 $1,071 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 330 4 300.00–315.00 $307.27 $1,014 —
410–440 425 4 260.00–280.00 $269.65 $1,146 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1235 1191 80-85% 13 111.00–119.00 $115.47 $1,375 -10.41
1190–1365 1278 80-85% 4 120.00–125.00 $122.33 $1,563 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1135 1056 85-90% 11 104.00–112.00 $107.91 $1,140 -10.73
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–1785 1526 75-80% 6 107.00–115.00 $111.75 $1,705 —

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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.