For the week ending October 11, Western Canadian yearling markets traded $8/cwt higher to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. Calf prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $3-$8/cwt on average. Feather-light calves under 450 pounds were steady to $10 higher on average. The Canadian cash feeder market appeared to divorce from the feeder cattle […] Read more
Klassen: Cash feeder market divorces from futures market
Canadian cattle herd moves into expansion phase
The Markets: Heifer retention has started and is expected to grow into 2026
Beef heifer retention has started in Canada, according to Statistics Canada, and is expected to grow into 2026.
Klassen: Highs in place for the feeder market
For the week ending October 4, Western Canadian grass yearling markets traded steady to $5-$8/cwt lower on average compared to seven days earlier. Backgrounded yearlings were down $5-$12/cwt. Calf markets were down $5 to $10/cwt from a week earlier. There was an influx of calves over the past week which resulted in the softer tone […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market remains volatile
For the week ending September 27, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $10/cwt higher to $10/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier.
Strong beef demand supports feeder cattle prices
The Markets: Yet-unknown impact of Trump tariffs on U.S. economy is a risk
Strong beef demand supports feeder cattle prices, but Trump tariffs’ effect on the U.S. economy could be a risk to Canadian cattle producers.
Klassen: Feeder market slips off record highs
For the week ending September 20, Western Canadian feeder markets traded steady to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. There were pockets where quality calf packages traded $10-$15/cwt below prices from the prior week. The October feeder cattle futures have been trading at $15/cwt premium to the deferred March 2026 contract. This inverse in […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market eyes deferred live cattle futures
For the week ending September 13, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. The April 2026 live cattle futures ended the week at $233, down $10 from the contract highs. Nearby feedlot margins remain favorable; however, profitability in the deferred positions has evaporated given the weakness in the deferred […] Read more
Beef cattle market continues to set records
The Markets: The U.S. and Canadian cow herds remain in a contraction phase
The U.S. and Canadian beef cow herds remain in a contraction phase which is driving record beef market prices, analyst Jerry Klassen says.
Klassen: Feeder market continues to climb
For the week ending August 30, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $4-$8/cwt higher on average. Quality yearling and calf packages were up as much as $15/cwt in some cases.
Klassen: Feeder market makes another leg higher
For the week ending August 23, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $5 to $10 higher on average compared to seven days earlier. In some locations such as Lethbridge, larger packages of quality yearlings traded $10 to as much as $20/cwt higher.
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