For the week ending February 1, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $8 per hundredweight higher compared to seven days earlier. In some cases, larger packages of quality genetics were up as much $15/cwt from the prior week.
Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hit fresh contract highs once again on Tuesday, with expectations for declining U.S. inventories behind some of the buying interest.
For the week ending January 25, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $$3-$6/cwt on either side of unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Higher quality genetics and lower flesh replacements were slightly firmer; however, feedlot operators incorporated the appropriate discounts on fleshier types and lower efficiency, smaller frame animals.
There was a surge in farmer selling across Western Canada last week. Sales volumes were larger than normal at many auction barns. The fear that President Trump would implement a tariff on feeder cattle ignited fears that that market would drop sharply.
U.S. soybean futures fell about two per cent on Thursday as forecasts for much-needed rains in dry areas of Argentina's crop belt and expectations of a massive Brazilian soy harvest sparked a round of profit-taking, analysts said.
Benchmark U.S. corn futures rose on Wednesday, hovering near one-year highs as traders continued to adjust to a tighter supply outlook projected last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and fretted about Argentine crop weather, analysts said.
For the week ending January 11, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were up $15-$20/cwt compared to the week ending December 21, 2024. In eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, quality packages of steers 800 pounds and over traded $20/cwt to $25/cwt higher compared to three weeks earlier.
South American weather forecasts, positioning ahead of the Jan. 10 United States Department of Agriculture supply/demand report and uncertainty over trade policies under the incoming Trump administration were all influencing the Chicago grain and oilseed markets during the first days of 2025.
The Alberta fed cattle market was quoted on a live basis in the range of range of $262-$265/cwt fob feedlot last week. Fed cattle forward contracts for March and April delivery (Alberta) were quoted from $270 to $272/cwt. Compared to last week of November 2024, fed prices are up $20/cwt on average.