Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 5, 2026

355 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $477.51/cwt -3.20 vs last sale · ≈ $2,015/hd at 422 lb · 16 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $517.28/cwt +29.02 vs last sale · ≈ $2,421/hd at 468 lb · 16 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $413.76/cwt +13.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,742/hd at 421 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 355 425 358
Feeder cattle 307 360 310
Slaughter cattle 48 65 48

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle mostly steady. Feeder cattle fully 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
210–225 218 2 690.00–740.00 $715.86 $1,561 +55.18
260–285 268 3 670.00–700.00 $680.62 $1,824 —
305–315 310 2 600.00–640.00 $620.32 $1,923 +4.51
360–385 373 10 560.00–630.00 $596.17 $2,224 -19.67
410–440 425 8 540.00–570.00 $555.53 $2,361 +7.64
455–485 468 16 460.00–560.00 $517.28 $2,421 +29.02
505–535 523 10 440.00–510.00 $475.63 $2,488 +25.34
560–585 573 8 450.00–470.00 $460.22 $2,637 +6.19
610–640 625 8 390.00–425.00 $407.92 $2,550 —
650–660 655 4 380.00–400.00 $389.92 $2,554 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 265 3 550.00–600.00 $567.30 $1,503 —
325–340 337 5 500.00–550.00 $524.04 $1,766 —
365–390 373 3 470.00–500.00 $480.45 $1,792 -79.89
405–435 420 10 490.00–530.00 $510.71 $2,145 +80.00
460–485 471 11 420.00–470.00 $443.38 $2,088 —
505–520 515 3 400.00–430.00 $420.19 $2,164 —
560–570 565 2 380.00–405.00 $392.61 $2,218 +2.03
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–440 430 6 390.00–410.00 $400.23 $1,721 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–230 223 3 620.00–700.00 $674.93 $1,505 —
260–285 273 4 570.00–590.00 $580.46 $1,585 —
305–345 325 6 560.00–630.00 $597.15 $1,941 +60.06
360–385 370 5 500.00–530.00 $512.49 $1,896 -30.88
405–440 422 16 460.00–520.00 $477.51 $2,015 -3.20
485–490 487 7 460.00–520.00 $494.13 $2,406 +13.81
510–530 523 3 410.00–450.00 $437.01 $2,286 +8.73
565–585 575 2 390.00–410.00 $400.17 $2,301 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 325 6 490.00–500.00 $495.23 $1,609 —
370–385 376 5 430.00–475.00 $448.43 $1,686 +10.31
405–440 421 11 390.00–440.00 $413.76 $1,742 +13.20
455–460 458 2 400.00–430.00 $415.08 $1,901 —
510–515 513 2 380.00–390.00 $385.02 $1,975 -0.26

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–235 228 2 730.00–750.00 $740.33 $1,688 —
260–285 273 10 660.00–700.00 $680.92 $1,859 —
305–340 323 10 620.00–670.00 $646.36 $2,088 —
360–380 367 9 550.00–630.00 $577.64 $2,120 -8.78
415–440 428 2 530.00–570.00 $550.58 $2,356 +5.40
455–475 462 3 500.00–540.00 $513.72 $2,373 +33.40
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–325 318 2 490.00–550.00 $520.71 $1,656 +36.70
355–385 370 2 500.00–530.00 $515.61 $1,908 +35.01
415–440 429 7 450.00–460.00 $455.86 $1,956 +30.28
460–470 465 2 410.00–420.00 $415.05 $1,930 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1205 1174 80-85% 16 177.00–184.00 $179.06 $2,102 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1170 1123 85-90% 9 159.00–166.00 $162.24 $1,822 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1345–1645 1445 75-80% 3 174.00–178.00 $176.48 $2,550 +6.37

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1705 1705 1 248.00 $248.00 $4,228 —
1640–1880 1743 7 188.00–205.00 $195.86 $3,414 —

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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.