Jerry Klassen

Reading Time: 2 minutes Jan. 11 — Feeder cattle prices in Western Canada were slightly lower over the past week due to the stronger Canadian dollar and weaker feedlot demand. Weather is setting a negative tone to overall market conditions on both sides of the border. Feedlots in the U.S. southern Plains were dealing with a foot of snow, […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Jan. 4 — Auction markets have been rather quiet over the past couple weeks due to the holiday schedule. Feeder cattle prices appear to have stabilized for the time being. Looking forward, there are still a number of risks weighing on the market in the short term. Finishing feedlot margins continue to hover in red […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dec. 28 — The Canadian dollar has been trading in a range of US92-98 cents since October and the market is now at the upper end of this range. When a market trades in a range for a long period of time and then breaks out of this range, there is usually a significant move. […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dec. 21 — The western Canadian feeder cattle market has stabilized after a week of harsh weather. Year-end income management, along with lower numbers coming on the market, resulted in a slightly higher price structure. The U.S. feeder market was steady to $3 higher, but this had a limited effect on the weekly export pace. […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dec. 15 — The U.S. feeder market was $3 to $5 lower last week; Canadian values were steady to $3 lower. Adverse weather conditions across North America set a negative tone to the feeder market. Feedlots in Western Canada are dealing with extreme weather conditions and are not looking to bring in additional supplies at […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Feeder cattle prices remain under pressure in Western Canada due to lower fed cattle prices, negative feedlot margins and weaker deferred live cattle futures. There is little optimism in the cattle business as the Canadian dollar continues to trade near US95 cents. Canadian triple AAA prices continue to trade near two-year lows as the beef […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dec. 1 — Feeder cattle prices in Western Canada remain soft due to larger available supplies and negative margins in the finishing feedlot sector. Values were $1 to $2 per hundredweight (cwt) lower on average this past week, with cattle merchants reporting additional pressure on the heavier calves. “Tax deferred” buying is starting to step […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute Nov. 23 — Feeder cattle markets were steady to $2 lower in Western Canada for the week ending Nov. 20. Margins for the finishing feedlot remain deep in red ink and there is very little buying enthusiasm among feedlot managers these days. The fed cattle market in Alberta traded in the range of $76-$78 per […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Nov. 17 — According to CanFax, the number of feeder cattle placed in Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlots during January through October was 1.682 million head, which is down 5.3 per cent from 1.776 million head for the same timeframe in 2008. Canadian feeder cattle exports to the U.S. for the first 10 months of 2009 […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes NEW FEATURE: Jerry Klassen, an independent commodity trader well known to readers of Canadian Cattlemen and the Cattleman’s Corner section in Grainews for his analysis of the livestock markets, now brings a new weekly column on cattle markets to AGCanada.com and its affiliated sites. Nov. 9 — U.S. feeder prices are $3-$4 per hundredweight (cwt) […] Read more