Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 24, 2026

259 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $450.33/cwt +31.18 vs last sale · ≈ $2,355/hd at 523 lb · 14 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $547.46/cwt -44.28 vs last sale · ≈ $2,551/hd at 466 lb · 13 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 steers $636.17/cwt +65.09 vs last sale · ≈ $2,373/hd at 373 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 259 204 305
Feeder cattle 217 153 278
Slaughter cattle 38 51 27
Replacement cattle 4 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder cattle firm. Replacement cows 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
260–285 277 3 680.00–710.00 $700.60 $1,941 -45.10
305–340 319 9 650.00–720.00 $685.81 $2,188 -30.60
360–385 373 10 600.00–670.00 $636.17 $2,373 +65.09
410–440 426 8 570.00–600.00 $585.48 $2,494 +3.48
455–475 466 13 520.00–570.00 $547.46 $2,551 -44.28
510–540 523 9 470.00–490.00 $479.17 $2,506 -36.54
560–575 570 3 450.00–490.00 $476.90 $2,718 —
615–635 625 2 410.00–430.00 $420.16 $2,626 -29.84
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 326 6 490.00–520.00 $510.56 $1,664 —
420–440 430 8 480.00–500.00 $490.23 $2,108 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 273 6 570.00–650.00 $611.83 $1,670 -18.46
355–385 370 4 480.00–540.00 $511.22 $1,892 +11.29
415–440 429 9 480.00–540.00 $514.20 $2,206 -5.13
460–475 468 4 480.00–500.00 $490.16 $2,294 -46.79
505–540 523 14 440.00–460.00 $450.33 $2,355 +31.18
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 277 3 525.00–530.00 $528.43 $1,464 +7.95
315–340 332 6 420.00–510.00 $481.51 $1,599 +5.19
360–390 375 2 480.00–500.00 $490.40 $1,839 +85.23
405–435 425 3 380.00–440.00 $420.94 $1,789 +15.82

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–275 265 8 660.00–710.00 $685.94 $1,818 —
315–340 329 7 620.00–690.00 $661.30 $2,176 —
360–380 372 5 580.00–630.00 $610.65 $2,272 —
425–440 429 8 570.00–580.00 $572.57 $2,456 —
460–485 473 6 490.00–580.00 $536.19 $2,536 -4.67
530–540 537 3 470.00–480.00 $476.71 $2,560 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 2 510.00–550.00 $530.73 $1,460 —
305–340 323 4 500.00–550.00 $526.36 $1,700 +80.30
355–365 360 2 500.00–520.00 $510.14 $1,837 —
410–435 418 3 450.00–500.00 $467.33 $1,953 —
460–475 471 4 400.00–420.00 $415.12 $1,955 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1160 1041 85-90% 9 151.00–160.00 $155.46 $1,618 —
1080–1160 1120 85-90% 8 142.00–149.00 $145.63 $1,631 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145–1445 1295 80-85% 10 167.00–174.00 $170.91 $2,213 —
1345–1365 1355 80-85% 2 181.00–191.00 $185.96 $2,520 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1355 1355 1 210.00 $210.00 $2,846 —
1355–1700 1631 5 190.00–196.00 $195.00 $3,180 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1195–1225 1210 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 202.50–210.00 $206.20 $2,495

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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.