Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 17, 2024

418 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $290.64/cwt -22.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,258/hd at 433 lb · 15 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 bulls $268.71/cwt ≈ $1,139/hd at 424 lb · 10 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $253.91/cwt +4.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,038/hd at 409 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 418 517 299
Feeder cattle 360 450 240
Slaughter cattle 40 67 45
Replacement cattle 18 — 14

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder cattle steady. Feeder and 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
305–330 324 4 350.00–400.00 $361.78 $1,172 —
360–390 375 6 285.00–325.00 $304.20 $1,141 —
410–430 418 5 270.00–300.00 $287.66 $1,202 -10.31
460–470 465 4 280.00 $280.00 $1,302 +0.22
560–580 570 4 240.00–255.00 $247.37 $1,410 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–330 323 4 460.00–480.00 $469.77 $1,517 +20.27
420–440 430 2 340.00–380.00 $359.53 $1,546 +41.65
510–530 520 4 295.00–305.00 $299.90 $1,559 +7.29
565–585 575 2 280.00–290.00 $285.09 $1,639 —
655–695 680 3 230.00–235.00 $231.70 $1,576 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–285 281 7 275.00–300.00 $278.24 $782 -7.98
315–340 332 9 260.00–280.00 $266.33 $884 —
360–385 377 9 260.00–290.00 $269.56 $1,016 +7.82
405–415 409 10 245.00–260.00 $253.91 $1,038 +4.10
460–480 470 2 250.00–260.00 $254.89 $1,198 —
520–540 530 4 240.00–250.00 $244.91 $1,298 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–280 275 3 370.00–400.00 $390.36 $1,073 +64.80
360–380 370 2 330.00–360.00 $345.41 $1,278 +42.44
405–440 434 8 290.00–315.00 $297.88 $1,293 -9.45
460–490 477 7 270.00–290.00 $278.26 $1,327 +21.83
510–530 523 3 255.00–275.00 $261.50 $1,368 -42.14
560–585 573 2 255.00–265.00 $260.11 $1,490 -2.35
605–640 628 6 220.00–225.00 $223.40 $1,403 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–290 275 4 430.00–480.00 $448.91 $1,235 —
325–345 335 2 420.00–460.00 $439.40 $1,472 -16.17
360–385 373 2 320.00–345.00 $332.08 $1,239 -7.38
405–440 433 15 285.00–325.00 $290.64 $1,258 -22.43
460–485 473 4 275.00–280.00 $277.57 $1,313 -15.65
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 314 4 285.00–330.00 $297.19 $933 -72.97
410–445 424 10 260.00–275.00 $268.71 $1,139 —
460–480 468 5 240.00–245.00 $242.95 $1,137 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1420 1357 75-80% 3 125.00–126.00 $125.35 $1,701 —
1395–1455 1410 75-80% 8 113.00–116.00 $113.77 $1,604 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1205 1195 85-90% 9 103.00–109.00 $105.02 $1,255 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–1245 1229 80-85% 5 111.00–115.00 $113.43 $1,394 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885–965 924 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 165.00–190.00 $176.98 $1,635

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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.