Name: Townsend Livestock Market livestock auction prices — 2026-08-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder cattle 5.00 to 15.00 lower. Replacement type heifers sharply lower.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $389.72/cwt on 33 head, down $27.70 from the prior sale. That ranks 3 of 9 comparable sales and sits −16.90 against this barn's trailing median of $406.61.

Average price

$389.72

▼ 27.70 vs prior sale

33 head · 555 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,161

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$515

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 2

$104.06/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+37.87

vs FL average

+38.54 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	553	399.18	2,206	30
Medium and Large 2	573	295.12	1,691	3thin

One grade step is worth $104.06/cwt here — about $515 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

9 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $434.64, low $383.80, median $406.61 across 9 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale33 hd

389.72

—

FL average7 barns · 199 hd

351.85

+37.87

National average122 barns · 3,757 hd

351.18

+38.54

This barn, trailing median9 sales

406.61

−16.90

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Low	1,576	189.37	2,984	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,695	166.97	2,830	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,218	162.65	1,981	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,363	162.46	2,214	10

Every lot, as filed

44 lots · USDA AMS · Townsend Livestock Auction - Madison, FL

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	365.24/cwt	355.00–375.00	1,928	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	425	424.12/cwt	390.00–440.00	1,803	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	666	311.29/cwt	310.00–315.00	2,073	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	573	337.66/cwt	330.00–345.00	1,935	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	551.34/cwt	510.00–590.00	2,056	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	326	591.36/cwt	580.00–600.00	1,928	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	423	335.44/cwt	320.00–350.00	1,419	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	250–300	277	548.07/cwt	500.00–570.00	1,518	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	517	343.48/cwt	340.00–350.00	1,776	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	450–500	473	425.40/cwt	410.00–440.00	2,012	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	578	295.22/cwt	285.00–305.00	1,706	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	327	507.82/cwt	450.00–550.00	1,661	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	477	306.78/cwt	300.00–310.00	1,463	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	375	405.40/cwt	390.00–420.00	1,520	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	718	306.73/cwt	300.00–310.00	2,202	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	370.66/cwt	350.00–390.00	1,957	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	425	350.35/cwt	340.00–360.00	1,489	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	268	425.23/cwt	400.00–450.00	1,140	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	573	295.12/cwt	285.00–300.00	1,691	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	430	367.67/cwt	360.00–375.00	1,581	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	435.50/cwt	420.00–450.00	1,624	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	419	433.55/cwt	400.00–470.00	1,817	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	500–550	523	422.13/cwt	400.00–450.00	2,208	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	550–600	571	440.24/cwt	430.00–450.00	2,514	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	643	414.94/cwt	400.00–430.00	2,668	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	551.34/cwt	510.00–590.00	2,056	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	323	486.36/cwt	460.00–510.00	1,571	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	470	345.48/cwt	330.00–360.00	1,624	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	623	332.57/cwt	330.00–335.00	2,072	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	313	605.12/cwt	600.00–610.00	1,894	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	356.53/cwt	340.00–375.00	2,039	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	473	383.10/cwt	360.00–405.00	1,812	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	273	586.15/cwt	560.00–610.00	1,600	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	348.91/cwt	330.00–355.00	2,024	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	271	509.34/cwt	500.00–520.00	1,380	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	429	456.36/cwt	430.00–475.00	1,958	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	474	372.86/cwt	360.00–385.00	1,767	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	526	342.32/cwt	330.00–350.00	1,801	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,670	164.63/cwt	159.00–169.00	2,749	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,218	162.65/cwt	162.00–170.00	1,981	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,363	162.46/cwt	160.00–164.00	2,214	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,845	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	3,339	1
Bulls	—	—	1,531	184.14/cwt	180.00–190.00	2,819	9
Bulls	—	—	1,778	212.89/cwt	208.00–217.00	3,785	2

How this sale compares

Florida weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Florida auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Florida feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Townsend Livestock Auction - Madison, FL

Tue Aug 18, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Tallahassee, FL (LS-OR)

Feeder CattleReceipts 538Last week 440Year ago 580

Slaughter CattleReceipts 49Last week 61Year ago 49

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder cattle 5.00 to 15.00 lower. Replacement type heifers sharply lower.

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
8	250–300	273	560.00–610.00	586.15
11	300–350	326	580.00–600.00	591.36
12	350–400	373	510.00–590.00	551.34
3	400–450	425	390.00–440.00	424.12
16	450–500	474	360.00–385.00	372.86
4	500–550	528	355.00–375.00	365.24
4	550–600	580	330.00–355.00	348.91
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	250–300	277	500.00–570.00	548.07
9	300–350	327	450.00–550.00	507.82
6	350–400	375	390.00–420.00	405.40
6	400–450	425	340.00–360.00	350.35
4	550–600	578	285.00–305.00	295.22
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	313	600.00–610.00	605.12
4	350–400	373	510.00–590.00	551.34
7	400–450	429	430.00–475.00	456.36
12	450–500	473	360.00–405.00	383.10
18	500–550	528	350.00–390.00	370.66
13	550–600	572	340.00–375.00	356.53
14	600–650	623	330.00–335.00	332.57
4	650–700	666	310.00–315.00	311.29
3	700–750	718	300.00–310.00	306.73
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	400–450	430	360.00–375.00	367.67
3	500–550	517	340.00–350.00	343.48
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
9	250–300	271	500.00–520.00	509.34
6	300–350	323	460.00–510.00	486.36
8	350–400	373	420.00–450.00	435.50
13	400–450	419	400.00–470.00	433.55
8	450–500	470	330.00–360.00	345.48
5	500–550	526	330.00–350.00	342.32
6	550–600	573	330.00–345.00	337.66
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	250–300	268	400.00–450.00	425.23
6	400–450	423	320.00–350.00	335.44
3	450–500	477	300.00–310.00	306.78
3	550–600	573	285.00–300.00	295.12
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
10	450–500	473	410.00–440.00	425.40
7	500–550	523	400.00–450.00	422.13
12	550–600	571	430.00–450.00	440.24
2	600–650	643	400.00–430.00	414.94

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,670	159.00–169.00	164.63
1	—	1,845	181.00	181.00
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
13	—	1,218	162.00–170.00	162.65
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	1,363	160.00–164.00	162.46
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	1,531	180.00–190.00	184.14
2	—	1,778	208.00–217.00	212.89

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

More

Townsend Livestock Market