Southern Manitoba | Western Manitoba | Southern Saskatchewan
Southern Manitoba, courtesy of Killarney Auction Mart
Eight-hundred cattle through the ring this week at the Killarney Auction Mart:
• 10 per cent butchers
• 45 per cent yearlings
• 45 per cent calves
This is a time when the auctions stand out as being the truest method of price discovery.
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Most of the yearlings on offer were heifers. Highlights were a load of black heifers weighing 748 lbs. at $318.75 and a half load of char heifers weighing 881 lbs. at $298.
We did see strings of wet-nose calves starting to come to town. Buyers need to have the cost of gain nailed down and be disciplined as they balance the cost of purchasing pounds with putting them on. We did see some calves start to head East. Some yearling heifers did head south of the 49th.
Next week, the calves will outnumber the yearlings for sale as the Jan./Feb. calves really start to come to town.
Auctioneers are having to practice new numbers that they have never used before while selling feeder cattle with three-weights steers bringing over $5/lb.
Price slides are also larger than we have seen before as 1,000 lb. steers can bring $3/lb. This is up to $2/lb. difference on 650-700 lbs. Traditionally this may have been a spread of 50 cents.
Right now, it looks like the big fall rush will get rolling at Thanksgiving.
At these price levels expect to see large volumes at sales. You will want to make sure to plan trucks and sales well in advance.
We may see buyers shift from their usual patterns of buying steers versus heifers and what weights they buy as they try to manage credit availability to filling pens.
Fall run 2023 is off to a very exciting start.
Western Manitoba, courtesy of Heartland Livestock Service
Virden saw 1,200 cattle through the ring this week, with over half of those feeders, 40 per cent fresh calves and five per cent butcher cattle. Lighter yearlings ran this week, but calves sold very well. The market held steady.
Prices were up $10/cwt on heifers and steers weighing up to 700 lbs., down $5/cwt on cows. Southern Alberta buyers snapped up 50 per cent of the cattle, locals 10 per cent, U.S. 10 per cent and Eastern buyers 30 per cent.
This week’s market trend is more short-term. The calf market is crazy high. We are seeing a perfect storm, with plenty of trucks and just enough calves that everyone has to fight over them.
Get your cattle sold — I personally don’t think the calves can stay at this level for long.
Southern Saskatchewan, courtesy of Whitewood Livestock
We saw 900 cattle this week, 35 per cent butchers, five per cent feeders and 60 per cent fresh calves. Prices were mostly steady, higher on some light calves. The market continues to hold at record levels.
Steer prices were as follows:
• 400-500 lb. from $4.33 to $5.01.
• 500-600 lb. from $3.93 to $4.38.
• 600-700 lb. from $3.50 to $4.03.
• 700-800 lb. from $3.25 to $3.63.
Heifers in the 400-500 lb. ranged from $3.62 to $4.39, while those in the 500-600 lb. weight class came at $3.43 to $3.90. Cows brought $1.32 to $1.59, and bulls $1.60 to $1.81.
The market is likely to hold steady the next couple of weeks, but see pressure around Thanksgiving, as the run increases. Producers can sell with the confidence that they’ll be happy with their returns.
For more weekly auction mart reports and seasonal information, bookmark Calf Central.
