Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 15, 2024

656 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 2 steers $225.13/cwt -1.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,294/hd at 575 lb · 18 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $250.34/cwt ≈ $921/hd at 368 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $244.45/cwt -45.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,271/hd at 520 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 656 473 909
Feeder cattle 550 360 790
Slaughter cattle 56 63 104
Replacement cattle 50 50 15

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady to 2.00 lower. Feeder cattle steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder and replacement cows' firm.

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
310–340 323 7 325.00–340.00 $331.77 $1,072 —
370–385 378 12 290.00–320.00 $305.30 $1,154 -39.52
405–445 434 8 270.00–280.00 $277.44 $1,204 -17.33
455–485 470 10 255.00–265.00 $260.16 $1,223 -32.14
505–540 520 14 240.00–250.00 $244.45 $1,271 -45.12
560–585 573 10 235.00–250.00 $242.66 $1,390 -2.25
605–645 630 12 205.00–240.00 $232.15 $1,463 +2.13
660–670 665 2 215.00–235.00 $224.92 $1,496 -0.08
700–730 712 5 210.00 $210.00 $1,495 -10.00
800–835 818 2 200.00–210.00 $204.89 $1,676 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 270 2 310.00–320.00 $315.19 $851 —
315–340 328 4 300.00–320.00 $310.38 $1,018 +7.18
360–390 380 6 260.00–280.00 $273.68 $1,040 +11.38
415–440 428 10 245.00–255.00 $250.15 $1,071 —
470–485 478 8 235.00–250.00 $242.62 $1,160 -20.60
510–545 528 6 220.00–235.00 $227.75 $1,203 -9.43
560–590 575 18 220.00–230.00 $225.13 $1,294 -1.45

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225–240 233 4 295.00–310.00 $302.74 $705 +2.52
260–285 273 4 295.00–330.00 $313.30 $855 +30.82
305–340 319 10 275.00–285.00 $279.26 $891 +3.96
360–390 375 8 260.00–280.00 $270.40 $1,014 —
420–440 431 7 230.00–240.00 $235.83 $1,016 -16.06
460–480 471 7 230.00–235.00 $232.91 $1,097 -0.96
505–540 535 7 210.00–220.00 $211.35 $1,131 -6.86
560–590 582 7 210.00–215.00 $211.38 $1,230 —
605–630 622 3 220.00–230.00 $226.76 $1,410 +21.71
635 635 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,270 -5.05
715–745 730 2 225.00 $225.00 $1,642 +35.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–290 280 4 265.00–295.00 $280.54 $786 —
355–380 368 16 240.00–260.00 $250.34 $921 —
410–440 424 11 210.00–225.00 $217.08 $920 -1.16
460–480 470 6 200.00–215.00 $207.66 $976 -5.79
520–540 527 3 200.00–220.00 $206.84 $1,090 +8.28
570–590 580 4 200.00–205.00 $202.54 $1,175 +4.19

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 337 6 340.00–360.00 $343.17 $1,156 +4.80
365–380 376 4 275.00–325.00 $312.87 $1,176 —
505–540 523 10 230.00–240.00 $235.17 $1,230 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 331 4 290.00–330.00 $320.79 $1,062 +26.98
415–435 425 2 235.00–240.00 $237.56 $1,010 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1235 1198 80-85% 12 115.00–123.00 $119.13 $1,427 —
1305 1305 80-85% 1 137.00 $137.00 $1,788 +5.31
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1190 1096 85-90% 9 108.00–116.00 $111.86 $1,226 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295–1385 1340 75-80% 2 115.00–118.00 $116.45 $1,560 —
1355 1355 75-80% 1 128.00 $128.00 $1,734 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1495–1710 1634 6 140.00–145.00 $141.81 $2,317 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
960–1125 1043 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 185.00–220.00 $203.88 $2,126
1115–1175 1145 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 115.00–125.00 $119.87 $1,373
1225–1255 1235 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 147.50–160.00 $155.77 $1,924

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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.