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U.S. livestock: Record highs in cattle futures

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange continued to set new records on Tuesday, as improving packer margins, strong demand and chart-based buying provided support. August feeder cattle futures were up by 5.400 cents per pound at 319.125 cents per pound. The August live cattle contract gained 4.075 cents per pound at 219.975 cents at […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market may have overextended to the upside

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending July 4, there were no feeder cattle sales in Western Canada due to holidays on July 1 and July 4. Major auction markets in the U.S. were also closed or had limited numbers on offer. Prices quoted from south of the border were steady to $4 higher on average but the market was hard to define.








(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairie forecast: Mostly warm and dry weather expected

Forecast issued May 28, covering May 28 to June 4, 2025

Reading Time: 3 minutes We start off with high pressure dominating most of the Prairies. A large surface high is sitting over the north-central U.S. This is beginning to tap into more heat and moisture, which will allow for warmer daytime highs and nighttime lows as dewpoints creep up.

(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Klassen: Lower beef production forecasts support feeder complex

Reading Time: 2 minutes Improving feedlot margins contributed to the stronger feeder market. Alberta packers were buying finished cattle on a dressed basis at $500/cwt delivered which was fresh record high. Using a 60 per cent grading, this equates to a live price of $300/cwt. Feedlot breakeven pen closeouts are in the range of $260-$270/cwt. Feedlots are anxious to reload and larger groups of quality packages are limited at this time of year.