Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 10, 2024

517 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 steers $342.74/cwt -7.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,292/hd at 377 lb · 12 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $281.16/cwt -8.37 vs last sale · ≈ $1,207/hd at 429 lb · 11 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $271.25/cwt ≈ $1,442/hd at 532 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 517 533 601
Feeder cattle 450 430 541
Slaughter cattle 67 70 60
Replacement cattle — 33 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady to firm. 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
255–270 263 2 460.00–470.00 $465.14 $1,223 +2.94
315–340 332 6 440.00–470.00 $449.50 $1,492 —
360–385 377 12 330.00–370.00 $342.74 $1,292 -7.08
420–445 428 3 295.00–330.00 $317.88 $1,361 +16.11
460–485 470 5 290.00–320.00 $307.62 $1,446 +20.06
510–525 518 2 285.00–300.00 $292.61 $1,516 +7.80
605–635 627 5 235.00–245.00 $238.94 $1,498 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–440 427 3 275.00–310.00 $297.97 $1,272 +11.61
455–470 465 3 270.00–300.00 $279.78 $1,301 +8.65

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–280 270 4 310.00–340.00 $325.56 $879 -11.18
315–345 335 6 295.00–320.00 $302.84 $1,015 -21.89
360–390 370 3 290.00–310.00 $302.97 $1,121 +16.10
415–440 429 7 260.00–275.00 $266.21 $1,142 -23.32
420–440 430 4 300.00–315.00 $307.33 $1,322 +17.80
460–485 477 3 250.00–270.00 $256.43 $1,223 -41.02
485–490 488 4 300.00–315.00 $307.54 $1,501 +10.09
515–545 530 4 295.00–310.00 $303.64 $1,609 —
520–545 533 6 235.00–265.00 $249.65 $1,331 —
560–580 570 4 260.00–265.00 $262.46 $1,496 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–290 278 5 275.00–305.00 $286.22 $796 —
360–380 368 5 250.00–270.00 $261.74 $963 -3.05
415–440 432 3 245.00–260.00 $249.81 $1,079 —
560–580 570 8 180.00–200.00 $190.18 $1,084 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 328 4 440.00–470.00 $455.57 $1,494 —
360–380 370 2 320.00–360.00 $339.46 $1,256 —
415–440 423 3 300.00–320.00 $313.07 $1,324 +28.92
460–485 477 9 290.00–300.00 $293.22 $1,399 +25.71
515–535 522 3 280.00–290.00 $283.42 $1,479 +8.54
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 278 3 345.00–380.00 $356.11 $990 —
305–315 310 2 360.00–380.00 $370.16 $1,147 —
515–540 528 6 235.00–250.00 $242.32 $1,279 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1275 1127 80-85% 16 114.00–120.00 $116.12 $1,309 —
1130–1225 1146 80-85% 6 122.00–129.00 $123.25 $1,412 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1485–1590 1506 75-80% 5 124.00–128.00 $124.84 $1,880 —
1475–1660 1586 75-80% 5 113.00–117.00 $114.49 $1,816 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1170 1133 85-90% 8 100.00–105.00 $102.42 $1,160 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1795–2245 1908 4 140.00–147.00 $144.94 $2,765 —

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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.