Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle markets experienced a week-over-week gain of $5 to $8. Strength in live cattle futures, along with the weaker Canadian dollar, rejuvenated buying interest amongst feedlot operators across the Prairies. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $222 to $227 on a dressed basis, which was also up $2 […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market bounces off the lows
Klassen: Feeder market lacks buying interest
Reading Time: 2 minutes In a market profile, trader Peter Steidlmayer clarified that markets go up because there is no selling and markets go down because there is no buying. Western Canadian feeder markets were a perfect example of this market theory, as prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $10-$15. Feedlot operators once again sat on their hands with […] Read more
Slowing sales at Burger King push parent’s shares down
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Restaurant Brands International, owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, reported a second straight quarter of decline in comparable sales at Burger King in the U.S. and Canada. The company’s U.S.-listed shares, which had risen about 26 per cent this year up to Friday’s close, fell as much as three per cent despite […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market aggressively searches for demand
Reading Time: 2 minutes A boulder falling off a mountain accelerates and gains momentum as it nears the ground. Until we see another force come into play, there’s no signal the lows are near in the feeder complex. Once again, the western Canadian feeder cattle traded $8 to $10 below week-ago levels, with sharper declines noted on unweaned calves. […] Read more
Saskatchewan to thin out wolf pack along treeline
Reading Time: 2 minutes Aiming to prevent “wolf-livestock conflicts” in the region, Saskatchewan’s environment department will again offer a wolf hunting season along the provincial forest fringe starting Saturday. The wolf hunt, running from Oct. 15, 2016 through to March 31, 2017, is to be allowed in wildlife management zones 43 (Melfort, Tisdale), 47 (North Battleford, Turtleford), 48 (Preeceville, […] Read more
Premium Brands buys Toronto burger processor
Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto custom burger maker Belmont Meats has become the latest subsidiary of Vancouver food processing firm Premium Brands. Premium Brands, which owns assorted processing and distribution businesses across Western Canada, Ontario and the U.S., on Thursday announced it has paid $50 million – $49.2 million in cash and $800,000 in Premium common shares — for […] Read more
CME mulls cash settlement for volatile cattle market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– CME Group is considering switching to a cash settlement process for its live cattle futures, a managing director said Thursday, as traders continued to complain about extreme volatility. Dave Lehman, managing director of commodity research and product development, said discussions about the new settlement procedure were part of an all-encompassing review […] Read more
Klassen: Patient buyers await lower feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Patience is a virtue, the old saying goes. Unlike the past few years, feedlot operators have been rewarded for waiting and there is no clear signal the market has any incentive to deviate from the current direction. Western Canadian feeder markets were trading $5-$8 below week-ago levels as larger numbers come onstream in all weight […] Read more
Mexico reopens to all Canadian beef
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beef and beef products from Canadian cattle of all ages may again be shipped to Mexico under newly expanded access announced Friday. The announcement from Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, on his first official visit to Mexico, follows up on a joint statement in June that Mexico was in the “final stages of due diligence” to reopen […] Read more
Klassen: Prolonged negative margins weigh on feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $5-$10 lower last week, with certain auction barns experiencing a week-over-week decline of $15. After 15 months of devastating margins, feedlots have thrown in the towel. If one of the largest, most sophisticated and efficient feedlots shuts the doors, the smaller players are wondering what they’re doing in this […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
