Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market to start 2023 on firm tone

Counter-seasonal behaviour expected

There were no market reports last week due to the holiday season; however, I still received a few calls from cattle producers regarding the feeder market outlook for the first quarter of 2023. The feeder market finished 2022 at 52-week highs. Steers averaging 500 lbs. were readily trading over the psychological $300 level while 900-lb. […] Read more

CME April 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Klassen: Historically high deferred live cattle futures support feeder complex

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2 lower to $4 higher on average. Many auction barns were on holidays last week; therefore, the buying interest appeared to be more concentrated on the major markets. There were no reports from Manitoba last week. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed […] Read more


B Bar/VLE Matrix, an embryo calf resulting from a partnership with B Bar Cattle from Lucky Lake, Sask., and the 2021 Grand Champion Limousin bull at Canadian Western Agribition. Wayne is on the halter and Anne is on the far left.

Partnering to produce high-end purebreds

This Alberta couple is working with seedstock producers from across the country to buy pedigreed females with potential to be donor cows

An Alberta couple’s passion for investing in top breeders has helped produce high-quality Limousin and Hereford cattle in Canada and they don’t even own a farm.  “We didn’t have the capital to buy a place and cattle,” says Anne Brunet-Burgess. “We started slowly, but got really involved in 2015, with Wayne’s nephew Justin, who was […] Read more

veterinarian with a calf

The next generation of cow vets

Dr. Blake Balog created Bow Valley Livestock Health with a vision for the future of the cow-calf industry

For some, a career is a calling. They are compelled to pursue it, even in times when it isn’t enjoyable, or even profitable. This describes many beef producers. Those who work with primary producers often do so because it is their calling as well. In this way, veterinarians and producers are a lot alike. Running […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market ends 2022 on firm tone

Trade expecting bullish numbers from USDA

Compared to last week, western Canadian calves were trading $4 to as much as $8 higher. Adverse weather did not influence the market this week. There appeared to be a surge in demand across all weight categories. Higher quality or pre-conditioned vaccinated, weaned, lower flesh calves in the 600–700-pound category were up as much as […] Read more

CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Klassen: Stronger deferred live cattle support feeder market

Cow-calf operators seen hesitant to expand

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$3 on either side of unchanged. Calf prices were mostly unchanged compared to seven days earlier; however, there were pockets where buyers reported prices up $2-$3 on average. The Alberta calf market appeared to stage a minor recovery after softening over the past month. Manitoba markets […] Read more


Graeme Finn’s pasture with alfalfa, Glenview sainfoin and cicer milkvetch, all legumes that help boost fertility.

Feeding cows for fertility

The right vitamin and mineral package, and high-quality forage, can boost a herd’s conception rate

The year is 1993 and Graeme Finn is saying goodbye to the blue skies and heat of Australia, replacing them with the gentle hills and crisp winters of Madden, Alta. Here, he starts a beef operation with his wife, Heather and their two daughters. With 2,800 acres of pasture rented, Finn is passionate about using […] Read more



Colleen and Dylan Biggs of TK Ranch, with locations near Calgary and Hanna, Alta.

Direct marketing in the COVID age

Two Alberta businesswomen talk shop about how the pandemic has shaped the direct marketing landscape for beef producers

It is a changed world. The time spent in pandemic lockdowns has completely altered consumer behaviour. Perhaps it has sped up trends that were already in place, such as concerns about how food was grown or raised, convenience and ease of online purchasing. According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review on Marketing […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences diverse price behaviour

Manitoba calves hold a premium over Sask., Alta.

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $2 higher while calf prices were unchanged to $4 lower. Yearling supplies are limited and there appeared to be a surge of buying interest for 850-lb. thin-fleshed replacements. Alberta fed cattle basis levels for the second quarter of 2023 have above average and the […] Read more