Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 3, 2026

313 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 2-weight M&L 1 heifers $620.56/cwt -35.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,676/hd at 270 lb · 30 head
heavy 2-weight M&L 1 steers $699.90/cwt +4.35 vs last sale · ≈ $1,883/hd at 269 lb · 17 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $692.14/cwt ≈ $2,305/hd at 333 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 313 271 407
Feeder cattle 267 207 372
Slaughter cattle 46 64 35

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder cattle 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
205–240 224 9 700.00–720.00 $708.12 $1,586 —
255–285 269 17 670.00–730.00 $699.90 $1,883 +4.35
405–440 426 5 510.00–560.00 $540.99 $2,305 +9.58
505–535 515 3 445.00–490.00 $460.58 $2,372 -24.85
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 4 600.00–620.00 $609.64 $1,677 —
360–385 368 3 480.00–530.00 $497.42 $1,831 —
505–525 518 3 400.00–430.00 $420.26 $2,177 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–285 270 30 610.00–630.00 $620.56 $1,676 -35.38
310–330 320 4 570.00–580.00 $574.84 $1,839 -31.78
355–385 370 4 490.00–540.00 $516.01 $1,909 -52.09
405–440 423 12 460.00–500.00 $480.83 $2,034 -19.75
460–480 473 3 440.00–460.00 $453.52 $2,145 -22.14
510–540 530 6 410.00–430.00 $423.58 $2,245 -16.99
555–570 564 5 380.00–400.00 $392.13 $2,212 —
610–630 620 4 320.00–370.00 $345.40 $2,141 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–285 282 10 520.00–580.00 $568.51 $1,603 —
310–340 335 6 450.00–510.00 $459.25 $1,538 -51.29
360–385 373 8 450.00–500.00 $475.84 $1,775 -4.16
460–470 467 3 400.00–430.00 $420.14 $1,962 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–230 218 4 680.00–710.00 $695.86 $1,517 —
260–285 273 6 650.00–690.00 $670.92 $1,832 —
305–340 333 14 660.00–700.00 $692.14 $2,305 —
360–385 373 6 560.00–620.00 $591.01 $2,204 -10.21
460–465 463 2 480.00–490.00 $485.03 $2,246 -0.37
510–540 530 3 410.00–460.00 $443.96 $2,353 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 225 3 620.00–660.00 $633.93 $1,426 —
260–280 270 4 500.00–570.00 $533.70 $1,441 —
310–340 336 7 590.00–630.00 $624.72 $2,099 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335–1635 1485 75-80% 10 165.00–172.00 $168.85 $2,507 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1285 1187 85-90% 3 145.00–152.00 $150.05 $1,781 —
990–1265 1219 85-90% 6 158.00–163.00 $162.32 $1,979 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1355 1205 80-85% 9 164.00–168.00 $166.00 $2,000 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1755–2595 2237 5 217.00–227.00 $224.22 $5,016 —

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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.