Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian yearling prices traded back up to historical highs over the week ended Oct. 18, while calf markets made fresh highs at many locations. Western Canadian yearlings off grass traded $5-$10 higher on average compared to seven days earlier. Steer calves in the weight range of 550-825 pounds traded $8-$12/cwt higher on average while […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market extends rally
Klassen: Cash feeder market divorces from futures market
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending October 11, Western Canadian yearling markets traded $8/cwt higher to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. Calf prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $3-$8/cwt on average. Feather-light calves under 450 pounds were steady to $10 higher on average. The Canadian cash feeder market appeared to divorce from the feeder cattle […] Read more
Klassen: Highs in place for the feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending October 4, Western Canadian grass yearling markets traded steady to $5-$8/cwt lower on average compared to seven days earlier. Backgrounded yearlings were down $5-$12/cwt. Calf markets were down $5 to $10/cwt from a week earlier. There was an influx of calves over the past week which resulted in the softer tone […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market remains volatile
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 27, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $10/cwt higher to $10/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier.
Klassen: Feeder market slips off record highs
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 20, Western Canadian feeder markets traded steady to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. There were pockets where quality calf packages traded $10-$15/cwt below prices from the prior week. The October feeder cattle futures have been trading at $15/cwt premium to the deferred March 2026 contract. This inverse in […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market eyes deferred live cattle futures
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 13, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. The April 2026 live cattle futures ended the week at $233, down $10 from the contract highs. Nearby feedlot margins remain favorable; however, profitability in the deferred positions has evaporated given the weakness in the deferred […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market consolidates at historical highs
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 6, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $525/cwt, up $15/cwt from a week earlier. Using a 60 per cent grading, this equates to a live price of $315/cwt. Current breakeven pen closeout […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market continues to climb
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending August 30, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $4-$8/cwt higher on average. Quality yearling and calf packages were up as much as $15/cwt in some cases.
Klassen: Feeder market makes another leg higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending August 23, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $5 to $10 higher on average compared to seven days earlier. In some locations such as Lethbridge, larger packages of quality yearlings traded $10 to as much as $20/cwt higher.
Klassen: Feeder market consolidates at historical highs
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending August 16, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were unchanged to $10 higher. Strength was noted in grass yearlings in the 800-950-pound categories.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
