Fall feeder cattle outlook

Fall feeder cattle outlook

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen, from the April 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Feeder cattle prices have been percolating higher since November 2016 and I’ve received many inquiries regarding the price outlook for the fall of 2017. The U.S. cattle herd is moving through an aggressive expansionary phase while the Canadian cattle inventory has remained relatively stagnant. The year-over-year increase in feeder cattle numbers south of the border […] Read more

Manitoba aims to increase its beef herd

Manitoba aims to increase its beef herd

Associations: News Roundup from the March 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) head into this year with hopes of expanding the provincial cow herd, preparations being made to deal with full traceability, and plans to lobby for fairness to producers as governments move forward with plans for a carbon tax. The association is also preparing for the introduction of the $2.50 per head […] Read more


(JBSsa.com)

JBS weighs suspending U.S. IPO

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s biggest meatpacking company, will decide in coming days whether to suspend listing its overseas operations after a corruption scandal, newspaper Folha de S. Paulo said Monday. A person involved in the deal told Reuters last week JBS had no intention of delaying the US$1 billion […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle drop on cautious feedlot demand

Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to as much as $8 below week-ago levels as feedlot managers anticipate growing beef supplies during the late spring and summer. Heavier weight categories absorbed the brunt of the selling pressure, with backgrounding operators liquidating fall-placed calves. Certain groups of higher-quality heifers held value with the purpose of […] Read more


cattleman on a horse

A sampler of ranchers’ views on 2017

As might be expected, their plans range from expansion to standing pat and retirement

Rebuilding and expanding herds, or staying about the same — that seems to be what western Canadian ranchers have in mind as they head into 2017. Despite a sharp downturn in the cattle markets in 2016, only one member of this Ranchers’ Panel was talking about downsizing, with retirement in mind. The 2016 fall market […] Read more



To veer away from producing beef that the consumer wants is the fastest way to lose even more.

The attempted resurrection of a horrible idea

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

As is often true with proposed regulation, it helps to consider the source in evaluating the origin, impetus and motivation. With the attempted resurrection of then GIPSA administrator J. Dudley Butler’s so-called “GIPSA Rule,” the cast of proponents is very similar to mCOOL, with which Canadians are all too familiar. R-CALF, the Organization for Competitive Markets […] Read more



cattle herd

Beef Watch: Canadian cattle herd steady

Prepared by the staff of Canfax and Canfax Research Services, divisions of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

Sellers have lost leverage throughout the supply chain as larger protein supplies in North America are pressuring prices down. Lower cattle prices have resulted in serious red ink for feedlots and disappointing calf prices this fall. Cow-calf returns have dropped but remain above the 10-year average. For producers who have made major infrastructure investments over […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Prolonged negative margins weigh on feeder market

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $5-$10 lower last week, with certain auction barns experiencing a week-over-week decline of $15. After 15 months of devastating margins, feedlots have thrown in the towel. If one of the largest, most sophisticated and efficient feedlots shuts the doors, the smaller players are wondering what they’re doing in this […] Read more