Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 24, 2026

271 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 steers $626.17/cwt -25.17 vs last sale · ≈ $2,336/hd at 373 lb · 16 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $475.66/cwt -35.30 vs last sale · ≈ $2,250/hd at 473 lb · 14 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $601.22/cwt -29.31 vs last sale · ≈ $2,225/hd at 370 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 271 307 246
Feeder cattle 207 270 205
Slaughter cattle 64 37 41

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder steers and bulls 10.00 to 15.00 lower. Feeder heifers unevenly 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
265–285 275 4 680.00–710.00 $695.55 $1,913 -83.52
315–335 325 8 630.00–680.00 $655.77 $2,131 -105.38
360–385 373 16 590.00–660.00 $626.17 $2,336 -25.17
410–440 425 4 490.00–570.00 $531.41 $2,258 -85.04
460–480 473 3 520.00–550.00 $540.28 $2,556 -51.00
510–540 525 4 470.00–500.00 $485.43 $2,549 -50.20
560–575 570 3 430.00–450.00 $443.45 $2,528 -27.83
605–620 613 4 410.00–430.00 $420.12 $2,575 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 330 3 500.00–570.00 $521.92 $1,722 -124.14

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 228 4 700.00–750.00 $725.82 $1,655 —
255–275 265 6 630.00–680.00 $655.94 $1,738 —
310–340 325 8 570.00–640.00 $606.62 $1,972 +11.39
355–390 374 9 510.00–590.00 $568.10 $2,125 +7.30
415–440 428 10 480.00–520.00 $500.58 $2,142 -20.66
460–485 473 14 450.00–500.00 $475.66 $2,250 -35.30
510–540 525 6 420.00–460.00 $440.57 $2,313 +0.19
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 323 6 500.00–520.00 $510.54 $1,649 —
365 365 1 480.00 $480.00 $1,752 -23.20
430 430 2 510.00 $510.00 $2,193 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–385 370 10 570.00–630.00 $601.22 $2,225 -29.31
405–445 419 7 530.00–600.00 $556.81 $2,333 —
460–485 473 4 470.00–500.00 $485.40 $2,296 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–440 435 3 460.00–530.00 $507.20 $2,206 +43.66

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1185 1086 85-90% 19 152.00–166.00 $159.62 $1,733 +6.69
1060–1105 1090 85-90% 6 144.00 $144.00 $1,570 -8.93
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1360 1263 80-85% 16 165.00–174.00 $169.85 $2,145 —
1425–1455 1433 80-85% 4 184.00–194.00 $186.54 $2,673 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1785 1598 75-80% 12 166.00–174.00 $170.47 $2,724 +2.53

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1435 1435 3 209.00 $209.00 $2,999 —

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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.