Jerry Klassen

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were generally steady to $3 per hundredweight (cwt) higher while lighter weight stockers under 600 pounds were $3-$5/cwt higher. Order buyers are telling feedlot managers that quality cattle are in tight supply and despite record-high prices, the “just get ’em” orders continue to flow into auction rings. There was no […] Read more

Feeder cattle weighing under 700 pounds sold $2-$4 per hundredweight (cwt) higher last week in Western Canada while heavier replacements were steady to $2/cwt above week-ago levels. Quality feeder cattle supplies are starting to wane this time of year and feedlot managers were aggressively bidding on performance-based replacements. Buying interest on grassers was well noted […] Read more

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $4 to $6 per hundredweight (cwt) higher last week with quality mid-weight cattle showing a week-over-week increase of $10/cwt. Feeding margins have been in positive territory since the beginning of the year, reaching over $200 per head in some cases, which is the main factor driving feeder cattle higher. […] Read more

Record-high U.S. fed cattle prices spilled over into the western Canadian feeder market this week causing prices to trade steady to as much as $5 per hundredweight (cwt) higher depending on the region. Lighter-weight cattle under 600 pounds were notably stronger trading as much as $10/cwt higher at certain auction barns. Fancier top-quality stocker steers […] Read more

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $3-$8 per hundredweight (cwt) higher on average, depending on the region, with stronger buying interest noted in the lighter weight categories. Pen closeouts have been near record highs for almost a month and the longer this trend continues, the more orders flow into auction barns. […] Read more

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices set new record highs at most auction barns last week. It appears that pen closeouts are profitable by approximately $200/head and feedlot operators are anxious to reload. Buying interest for grassers is also starting to step forward and backgrounding operators were actively buying lighter weight cattle, lifting prices for calves […] Read more

A sharp drop in wholesale beef prices, along with softer fed cattle values, caused the feeder market to finally run into some resistance last week. Adverse weather also tempered buying enthusiasm for lighter-weight cattle, with dreadful temperatures reported across most of Western Canada. The feeder market is indeed functioning to encourage production and ration demand, […] Read more

Strength in fed cattle prices in Alberta reached up to an astonishing $148.50 per hundredweight (cwt) last week, which spilt over into the feeder complex. Larger volumes of heavier feeder cattle are coming on the market, with backgrounding operations liquidating fall-placed calves, but this did little to stem the upward momentum. Overall, feeder cattle were […] Read more

Newton’s first law of motion continues to describe the cattle market, as an object in motion tends to stay in motion until acted upon by another force. Last year is a distant memory for most cattle producers as ownership becomes a key feature and no eye blinks at paying $196 per hundredweight (cwt) for non-feature […] Read more