Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 31, 2026

283 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 2-weight M&L 1 steers $667.58/cwt -33.02 vs last sale · ≈ $1,809/hd at 271 lb · 27 head
light 2-weight M&L 1 steers $739.70/cwt ≈ $1,657/hd at 224 lb · 18 head
light 2-weight M&L 1 heifers $686.70/cwt ≈ $1,511/hd at 220 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 283 259 381
Feeder cattle 243 217 325
Slaughter cattle 27 38 56
Replacement cattle 13 4 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle steady. Feeder cattle steady. Feeder type cows' firm.

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
220–245 224 18 700.00–780.00 $739.70 $1,657 —
255–285 271 27 620.00–730.00 $667.58 $1,809 -33.02
305–340 324 11 630.00–700.00 $670.06 $2,171 -15.75
410–445 425 7 570.00–610.00 $587.95 $2,499 +2.47
455–485 466 10 470.00–580.00 $530.71 $2,473 -16.75
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–275 270 2 570.00–590.00 $580.19 $1,567 —
355–390 373 2 550.00–590.00 $570.94 $2,130 —
420–435 430 3 485.00–550.00 $528.84 $2,274 +38.61
460–475 468 2 470.00–480.00 $475.08 $2,223 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–235 220 14 660.00–710.00 $686.70 $1,511 —
260–285 273 12 610.00–670.00 $641.38 $1,751 +29.55
310–345 328 6 580.00–650.00 $616.87 $2,023 —
355–385 370 6 560.00–580.00 $570.41 $2,111 +59.19
410–440 425 6 510.00–560.00 $535.88 $2,277 +21.68
460–485 474 7 470.00–540.00 $510.90 $2,422 +20.74
510–540 525 6 450.00–470.00 $460.29 $2,417 +9.96
560–580 573 3 390.00–430.00 $416.98 $2,389 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 230 3 610.00–630.00 $623.62 $1,434 —
360–380 375 4 520.00–540.00 $535.20 $2,007 +44.80
420–435 430 3 450.00–480.00 $470.23 $2,022 +49.29
460–485 473 6 380.00–430.00 $405.66 $1,919 —
520–540 530 4 350.00–380.00 $365.28 $1,936 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 268 2 690.00–710.00 $700.28 $1,877 +14.34
310–345 328 6 640.00–720.00 $682.14 $2,237 +20.84
405–430 418 4 570.00–610.00 $590.60 $2,469 +18.03
560–565 563 2 430.00–440.00 $435.02 $2,449 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–440 433 3 480.00–550.00 $527.38 $2,284 +60.05
520–540 533 3 360.00–410.00 $393.75 $2,099 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1105 1095 85-90% 6 149.00–155.00 $151.97 $1,664 —
1165–1290 1228 85-90% 8 158.00–167.00 $162.73 $1,998 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1425 1405 80-85% 6 153.00–161.00 $157.06 $2,207 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525–1635 1580 75-80% 2 176.00–181.00 $178.41 $2,819 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1105–1185 1153 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 270.00–345.00 $298.75 $3,445

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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.