Sweltering heat has slowed beef consumption on the restaurant and retail level. Top Alberta slaughter prices were reported at $97/cwt, down $7/cwt to $10/cwt from last week with many feedlots holding back on sales. U.S. fed prices were also $3 softer with cattle moving at $108/cwt in Kansas. A healthy group of professionally backgrounded exotic […] Read more
Klassen – extensive heat melts feeder cattle market
Klassen: Upward momentum lifts feeder cattle
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $2 to $3 higher last week. Most auction markets reported very little volume and many cattle buyers remain on holidays at the Calgary Stampede. In central Alberta, 800- to 900-pound steers averaged $128 with feedlots showing stronger interest for heavier replacements. Alberta packers bought fed cattle at $101 per […] Read more
Klassen: Weak corn equals strong feeder cattle
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $2 higher in comparison to week-ago levels. Very light auction volumes were reported with many sale barns closed for summer holidays. Feedlot buying interest started to improve late in the week but with limited supplies available, there wasn’t a significant test of the market. Feedlot operators continue […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle futures test contract highs
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $3 higher last week while U.S. prices jumped $4 to $8. Auction market volumes were extremely light while most cattle buyers started their holiday season. It’s that time of year when quality feeder cattle are hard to find and feedlot owners have other issues to contend with. […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle prices bounce off lows
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices appear to be stabilizing with values steady to $3 higher on average last week. A larger group of feeder heifers averaging 880 pounds sold for $104 per hundredweight (cwt) in central Alberta; 640-lb. steers sold for $149/cwt delivered to Feedlot Alley in southern Alberta. Strength in the feeder market was […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle continue lower trend
Feeder cattle prices in Western Canada were steady to $2 lower last week on light volumes and limited buying interest. Feedlot demand remains sluggish as feedyard managers struggle with inefficient weight gains, higher death loss and adverse pen conditions. The market is experiencing sharp discrepancies across Western Canada with similar cattle varying by $5-$8 per […] Read more
Market Talk – for Jun. 13, 2011
Producers in Alberta have access to the Cattle Price Insurance Program and it appears that Saskatchewan and Manitoba will likely implement a similar program in the future. Government price insurance programs are just another way to minimize risk similar to futures and options markets. The mechanics of the program are fairly simple but I’ve received […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle prices drop $2-$4 per cwt
Feeder cattle prices in Western Canada were $2 to $4 lower with heavier replacement cattle bearing the brunt of the decline. Alberta fed steers dipped to $97 on Friday, down nearly $3/cwt from a week earlier, which kept tempered buying enthusiasm. Adverse pen conditions have resulted in lower rates of gain and with the weak […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle continue grind lower
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $2 lower last week. Lighter-weight grass cattle held up fairly well, with heavier replacements moving in line with the slaughter market. Alberta fed steers were $2 lower trading at the $100 per hundredweight (cwt) level, down $16/cwt from the highs in early April. Feeder steers weighing 620 […] Read more
Klassen: USDA report sets negative tone
Feeder cattle prices were $2 to $3 lower across Western Canada, with prices dropping an additional $1 to $2 late in the week. Steers weighing 620 pounds sold for $135 per hundredweight (cwt) in central Alberta, down $4 from a week earlier; lighter steers weighing 500 to 550 lbs. sold in the range of $138/cwt […] Read more