Klassen: Feeder cattle firm despite snug feeding margins

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $3-$6 per hundredweight (cwt) higher last week as buyers continue to scramble for limited supplies. Recent rains have enhanced pasture conditions across the Prairies and there will be little incentive to market cattle over the next month. Many cattle buyers are taking a couple of weeks’ holiday after an […] Read more


Klassen: Feeder cattle market sustains upward momentum

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices jumped $5-$7 per hundredweight (cwt) last week. Recent rains caused adverse pen conditions in southern Alberta, but this did little to stem buying enthusiasm. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle at $150/cwt as tighter beef supplies continue to cause counter-seasonal market behaviour in the beef complex. In addition to firm […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle outlook remains positive

Reading Time: 2 minutes Weaker feed grain values, along with stronger fed cattle prices, caused Western Canadian feeder cattle prices to trade steady to $2 per hundredweight (cwt) higher. The market was relatively undefined given the lack of volume. Some producers were holding back smaller groups or “underdeveloped stragglers” as gambling stocks, but these supplies have also moved through […] Read more


Klassen: Weaker barley prices support feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices continue to percolate higher in the 750-pound-plus categories while lighter weight classes were steady with week-ago levels. Feedlot buying interest appeared to be more aggressive due to softer barley prices in southern Alberta. Earlier in May, barley traded up to $220 per tonne delivered Lethbridge but active trade materialized at […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle market remains hot

Reading Time: 2 minutes Feedlot buying interest remained firm last week as feeder cattle supplies dwindle in line with the seasonal tendency. Small strings of feeders with mixed characteristics were well bid at the higher levels with no signal that this overall trend has come to an end. Once again, larger-frame Simmental-based feeders weighing just under 800 pounds were […] Read more



Klassen: Fresh historical highs sum up feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes All weight categories posted higher prices this last week in Western Canada. In central Alberta, quality Charolais-based stockers weighing 535 pounds touched the magical $250 per hundredweight (cwt) level; shorter-keep, medium-flesh exotics weighing just over 800 lbs. traded at $196/cwt at the same sale. Scarcity was the main concern amongst buyers this week. Stronger prices […] Read more


A cow and new calf on May 4 near Turtle Lake, Sask., about 110 km north of North Battleford. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Klassen: Lower available supplies bolster feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were a solid $4-$6 per hundredweight (cwt) higher last week in comparison to seven days earlier; however, certain auction barns reflected a hesitant uneven tone as the market moved higher. Feedlot buying interest remains abnormally strong for this time of year and surging deferred live cattle futures justified the higher […] Read more

Klassen: Lower available supplies support feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively flat last week, trading steady with week-ago levels while quality replacements were $2-$3 per hundredweight (cwt) higher. Feedlot buying interest was not afraid to pay up larger groups of fancier cattle with limited supplies expected in upcoming weeks. In southern Alberta, black steers weighing 785 pounds traded near […] Read more