Fed cattle Fed cattle prices held mostly steady in September, with a sideways trading range of $133/cwt to $134/cwt. The week ending September 25 saw fed cattle prices average $134.01/cwt; however, cattle were purchased with a longer pickup time and buyers were less aggressive, leaving the market slightly softer as September ended. Increased carcass weights […] Read more
McMillin: Cattle-on-feed numbers above year-ago levels
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the October 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Cattle prices hold mostly steady
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 28, 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle Good demand, strong cut-out value, steady kill rates and good retail featuring have contributed to mostly steady prices throughout the summer months. However, the start of September brought a seasonally lower move in the cash fed cattle market. Typically, larger front-end supplies lead to longer packer lift times and larger carcass weights. This […] Read more
Fed-cattle prices moving higher
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle Impressive summer slaughter rates coupled with strong wholesale demand have moved fed prices higher after weeks of a steady trading range. The fed steer price in Alberta in mid-August was $136.92/ cwt, which was a jump of $2.81/cwt from the previous week. Cash-to-cash basis is narrow at -$1.47/cwt, which compares to -$3.39/cwt a […] Read more
Fed cattle market rebounds after hitting near-decade lows
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the August 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle After hitting lows not seen since 2012 in May, the fed cattle market has rebounded over the last several weeks. Two weeks after sinking to a low of $107/cwt in early May, the market recovered, climbing $41/cwt to a weekly average of $148/cwt. Since May the market trended lower through June but has […] Read more
Weekly slaughter levels lowest in decades
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the June 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle This spring, weekly slaughter levels were nearly 60 per cent lower than a year ago and the lowest recorded since 1973. From mid-March to the first week of May, the cash market dropped $50.56/cwt to reach a low of $107.00/cwt. Although volumes are light, losses on cattle sold into this lower-cash market are […] Read more
Reduced shifts, closures see cash cattle prices sink
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the May 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle Fed cattle cash prices in recent weeks have moved sharply lower as uncertainty in the market continues to drive live cattle futures lower. Reduced packing plant shifts and temporary closures across North America in recent weeks have pressured the market. Disruptions to consumers’ lives and livelihoods have shifted consumer spending. Product demand at […] Read more
COVID-19 pandemic sees cattle markets plunge
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the April 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed Cattle Global uncertainty resulting from the rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic has caused all financial and commodity markets to struggle. The cattle markets have not been excluded from this as we have watched the fed cattle price plummet in recent weeks. The fed cattle cash average is $141.54/cwt, which is $22/cwt lower than the high […] Read more
Coronavirus impact spreads to cash cattle markets
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the March 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed Cattle A downtrend in the technical market in recent weeks resulting from uncertainty surrounding the economic impacts of the coronavirus has spread to the cash market as well. Locally, the cash fed cattle price has fallen $11.00/cwt over the past two weeks. The current fed steer average is $152.54/cwt. Fortunately, the higher prices that […] Read more
Tight supplies push fed cattle cash prices higher
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the February 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed Cattle The fed cattle cash market had a great start in 2020. Tight market-ready supplies helped push prices higher and led to current feedlots as cattle were pulled ahead to sell into the stronger market. The fed steer price averaged $163.64/cwt the second week of the year, an improvement of $9/cwt from the beginning […] Read more
Good beef demand in 2019 supports fed cattle prices
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the January 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed Cattle Demand has been key in 2019. Good beef demand in both Canada and the U.S. has supported fed cattle prices throughout the year. Fed prices rallied again in November and early December in Western Canada. Support coming from tighter front-end supply and growing holiday demand led to a 13 per cent increase in […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
