Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 28, 2026

425 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $480.71/cwt -15.33 vs last sale · ≈ $2,043/hd at 425 lb · 12 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $480.32/cwt +4.32 vs last sale · ≈ $2,282/hd at 475 lb · 12 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $365.36/cwt -5.99 vs last sale · ≈ $2,265/hd at 620 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 425 468 275
Feeder cattle 360 390 244
Slaughter cattle 65 52 31
Replacement cattle — 26 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle mostly 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
205–235 220 4 650.00–670.00 $660.68 $1,453 —
305–340 323 6 600.00–630.00 $615.81 $1,989 -20.55
360–385 373 6 590.00–640.00 $615.84 $2,297 +9.44
420–440 434 7 490.00–570.00 $547.89 $2,378 +21.85
460–485 470 5 480.00–500.00 $488.26 $2,295 -29.22
510–540 525 4 440.00–460.00 $450.29 $2,364 -36.72
555–585 569 11 440.00–470.00 $454.03 $2,583 -32.33
715–735 725 6 330.00–335.00 $332.53 $2,411 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 4 550.00–570.00 $560.34 $2,090 —
410–435 425 5 400.00–450.00 $430.71 $1,831 —
560–585 577 3 350.00–410.00 $390.58 $2,254 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–340 330 5 500.00–560.00 $537.09 $1,772 -53.45
360–385 379 4 490.00–560.00 $543.37 $2,059 +12.70
410–440 425 12 460.00–500.00 $480.71 $2,043 -15.33
460–490 475 12 470.00–490.00 $480.32 $2,282 +4.32
505–535 517 5 420.00–440.00 $428.28 $2,214 -12.39
605–635 620 12 350.00–380.00 $365.36 $2,265 -5.99
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 379 4 400.00–450.00 $438.12 $1,660 +23.19
420–440 432 5 370.00–420.00 $400.56 $1,730 -40.53
520–540 530 4 370.00–400.00 $385.28 $2,042 —

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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 6 550.00–620.00 $586.42 $2,170 -9.28
405–435 420 4 540.00–550.00 $545.18 $2,290 +24.35
460–475 468 2 460.00–500.00 $480.32 $2,248 -30.21
520–535 530 3 460.00–520.00 $500.38 $2,652 +53.73
715–740 724 8 280.00–300.00 $285.09 $2,064 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–335 328 3 450.00–500.00 $484.01 $1,588 —
355–385 378 4 450.00–490.00 $480.60 $1,817 +0.07
420–440 430 4 400.00–450.00 $425.58 $1,830 -34.83
560–585 573 6 350.00–410.00 $380.66 $2,181 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395–1455 1425 75-80% 6 165.00–175.00 $170.11 $2,424 +1.27
1320–1655 1488 75-80% 14 183.00–193.00 $188.56 $2,806 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1095 1000 85-90% 6 150.00–155.00 $152.74 $1,527 —
975–1135 1055 85-90% 12 160.00–170.00 $165.38 $1,745 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1365 1298 80-85% 16 168.00–177.00 $172.73 $2,242 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1570–1710 1640 4 199.00–218.00 $208.09 $3,413 -1.03
1845–2105 1975 4 220.00–228.00 $224.26 $4,429 —

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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.