(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Drop in fed cattle prices weighs on feeder complex

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta fed cattle prices dropped sharply last week, with dressed sales falling $10 to $20 from seven days earlier. Despite the weakening Canadian dollar, wholesale beef prices also fell US$10/cwt which offset any currency benefit. Feedlot operators froze with disbelief as the market suffered one of the sharpest week-over-week declines in recent memory. The hot […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Limited buying interest softens feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Just when I thought feeder cattle prices were stabilizing, once again the unexpected occurs. A sharp rally in U.S. grain futures, along with weaker fed cattle prices, caused western Canadian feeder cattle to trade $6-$12 lower compared to week-ago levels. Auction markets reported limited buying interest, with often only two or three larger feedlots stepping […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Fund selling drops CME live cattle limit down

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed sharply lower on Monday, with nearby contracts down by their three-cent-pr-pound daily price limit, shaken by sell stops and fund liquidation, traders said. April and June live cattle ended down by the three-cent limit at 128.475 and 119.175 cents/lb., respectively (all figures US$). Live […] Read more

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Klassen: Feeder cattle market garners support

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively stable over the past week while prices in the major feeding regions were $2 to $5 higher. Alberta fed cattle prices were $2 higher, trading in the range of $170 to $172, which bolstered buying enthusiasm in the heavier weight categories. Feedlot operators in the Lethbridge area were […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Cattle tumble on technical selloff, beef woes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures fell to 1-1/2-month lows and feeder cattle declined by nearly three per cent on Tuesday in a technical selloff triggered by ample supplies and lower beef prices, traders and analysts said. Live cattle eased their third straight session, briefly falling by the daily limit of three cents/lb. […] Read more

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Klassen: Feedlot operators throw in towel on feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Weaker wholesale beef values, along with softer fed cattle prices, set a negative tone for the feeder cattle market this past week. Western Canadian feeder markets were trading $4-$8 below week-ago levels, with calves trading as much as $10 lower in some cases. Producers can become nauseous watching these live cattle futures, but this is […] Read more



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U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle limit up on bearish corn data

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures on Thursday settled up their 4.5-cents/lb. maximum daily price limit, spurred by the morning’s bearish government grain report, traders said. U.S. farmers intend to plant 93.6 million acres of corn and 82.2 million acres of soybeans in 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle trade lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes The “one-week wonder” from seven to 10 days ago appears to have evaporated; a softer sentiment blanketed Western Canada this week, with feeder markets dropping $4 to $6 on average. A significant slide in live cattle futures, along with softer cash prices, caused feedlots to move into a risk-averse mentality. Heavier replacements took the brunt […] Read more