Cattle Market Pulse

Townsend Livestock Auction Market Report

Madison, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 26, 2026

333 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $545.15/cwt -17.09 vs last sale · ≈ $2,306/hd at 423 lb · 12 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $487.94/cwt -28.38 vs last sale · ≈ $2,074/hd at 425 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 333 380 252
Feeder cattle 280 320 231
Slaughter cattle 53 60 21

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder cattle 3.00 to 5.00 lower.

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
260–285 273 6 660.00–700.00 $680.92 $1,859 -20.00
310–335 327 3 660.00–670.00 $666.84 $2,181 +1.14
360–385 374 7 570.00–580.00 $575.88 $2,154 -30.54
410–435 423 12 540.00–550.00 $545.15 $2,306 -17.09
455–485 470 6 495.00–515.00 $505.32 $2,375 -8.04
525–535 533 4 470.00–500.00 $492.61 $2,626 -10.81
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–435 423 6 450.00–475.00 $462.87 $1,958 —
505–540 523 4 425.00–455.00 $440.50 $2,304 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–285 275 5 550.00–640.00 $605.96 $1,666 -54.96
310–340 333 4 550.00–640.00 $619.02 $2,061 +13.79
360–385 373 6 490.00–530.00 $510.67 $1,905 -50.94
410–440 425 10 475.00–500.00 $487.94 $2,074 -28.38
460–485 473 4 470.00–475.00 $472.57 $2,235 -18.62
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–440 428 4 400.00–440.00 $420.58 $1,800 -33.06
610–635 623 6 300.00–340.00 $320.40 $1,996 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215–240 228 4 650.00–670.00 $660.55 $1,506 -18.10
260–285 273 8 670.00–690.00 $680.46 $1,858 -5.37
310–335 323 4 550.00–630.00 $591.55 $1,911 -86.95
360–385 373 6 560.00–575.00 $567.75 $2,118 -38.74
410–440 425 6 500.00–540.00 $520.71 $2,213 -22.73
460–485 473 8 475.00–500.00 $487.83 $2,307 -42.62

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1195 1127 85-90% 19 159.00–167.00 $164.36 $1,852 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1235 1209 80-85% 19 171.00–179.00 $174.87 $2,114 —

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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.