Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending May 31, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to as much as $10 lower on average. Dryer grass conditions in certain regions of Manitoba and central and northern Saskatchewan may have contributed to the softer tone at certain locations. Many feedlot operators continue to sit on their hands for the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeding margin uncertainty weighs on feeder cattle market
Klassen: Feeder cattle market ratchets higher on stronger fed market
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending June 8, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to $6 above week-ago levels. In certain locations, quality packages of 600 pound plus steers were $8 to $10 higher compared to seven days earlier. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $440/cwt, up $2/cwt from the previous […] Read more
Klassen: Year-end buying interest boosts feeder market
Feedlot operators gearing up for shortfall in overall numbers in the first half of 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes Strength was noted in calves under 650 pounds while feeders over 700 pounds were relatively unchanged. Larger packages of weaned quality genetics were $8 to $10 higher in some cases.
Klassen: Strong demand continues to support feeder market
Significant downside risk ahead
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending Nov. 25, western Canadian yearling prices were $4-$8/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. However, calf markets were firm trading $5-$8/cwt on either side of unchanged compared to values quoted a week prior. Optimal weather in southern Alberta caused major feedlot operators to stretch their hands across the Prairies. At the […] Read more
Klassen: Canadian feeder buyers ignore weaker futures market
U.S. feedlot placements up four per cent
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending Nov. 18, western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $3-$5/cwt on either side of unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Buyers appeared to shrug off the weaker futures market and the defensive tone from a week earlier evaporated. Eastern Prairie markets were firm, with larger packages of quality cattle trading a solid […] Read more
Klassen: Cash feeder prices soften on futures market uncertainty
Supplies are higher than expected as consumers reign in spending
Reading Time: 2 minutes The live and feeder cattle futures appear to be incorporating a risk discount due to the uncertainty in demand. Consumers are pulling in the reigns on spending. Interest rates are at 40 year highs and inflation remains elevated. Larger supplies and lower demand results in lower prices.
Klassen: Buyers contemplate feeder market prices
In adverse weather, sale results vary
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5/cwt lower on average although limited numbers made the market hard to define. Calf markets traded $4-$8/cwt on either side of unchanged. It appeared that 700-plus-lb. calves were up $4 to as much as $8. The variation in the price structure was due to the adverse […] Read more
Klassen: Canadian feeder market holds value despite weaker futures
Weaker loonie offers support
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices traded $3-$5 lower while calf values were relatively unchanged. The market was slightly softer early in the week. On Wednesday, Alberta packers renewed fed cattle bids similar to week-ago levels and the aggressive buying lifted calf prices back up to levels similar to seven days earlier. Adverse […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market vulnerable to weakness
Placements higher than expected
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5 on either side of unchanged. Prices for 800-plus-lb. yearlings were firm in Manitoba but softened in western regions. Calf prices were relatively unchanged from week-ago levels. There were larger volumes of calves on offer with many auction barns holding feature sales. The increase in supplies […] Read more
Klassen: Ontario demand sets the price structure for calves
Corn in Ontario at $232/tonne, U.S. corn in southern Alberta at $315
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending Oct. 14, western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $4 higher compared to a week earlier. Calves in the range of 500 to 800 pounds traded $4-$6 lower in Alberta. However, in eastern Saskatchewan and in Manitoba, calves in this weight category were relatively unchanged compared to the previous week. In […] Read more
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