U.S. consumer purchasing has slowed, which means slower movement of cattle to beef processors. This will likely mean declining prices, says Jerry Klassen, market analyst.
Tag Archives cattle prices
Beef cattle prices start to reduce demand
The Markets: Watch U.S. consumer buying trends for signs of the cattle market’s future
Klassen: Feeding margin uncertainty weighs on feeder cattle market
For the week ending May 31, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to as much as $10 lower on average. Dryer grass conditions in certain regions of Manitoba and central and northern Saskatchewan may have contributed to the softer tone at certain locations. Many feedlot operators continue to sit on their hands for the […] Read more
Ratios help tell the financial story on beef farms
Costs of Production: Benchmarks provide evaluations of how costs relate to income
Beef operation ratios such as gross margin, gross income and contribution margin can help farmers evaluate their businesses
Klassen: Feeder cattle market jumps back to historical highs
For the week ending March 15, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $8-$12 higher compared to seven days earlier. Prices fully recovered from the prior week with values quoted at or near historical highs. Finishing feedlots were aggressive across all weight categories due to strength in the nearby and deferred live cattle futures. Once again, […] Read more
Cattle market volatility increases as tariff uncertainty continues
Resumption of U.S./Mexico cattle trade will temper market upside
At the time of writing this article, the implementations of U.S. tariffs and Canadian retaliatory measures were delayed for 30 days. However, the threat remains. This is the wild card moving forward.
Tariffs not on U.S. rancher radar
Cattle groups take their advocacy directly to U.S. livestock producers
Glacier FarmMedia — The Canadian Cattle Association says the threatened 25 per cent tariffs would cut Canadian wholesale beef prices by 13 per cent, but effects would be tempered slightly by a low Canadian dollar. “Obviously a huge blow to the benchmark beef price,” CCA vice-president Tyler Fulton says. “I think many of us would […] Read more
Tighter fed cattle supplies projected for second quarter
The Markets: The trend has been toward fewer cattle in feedlots across North America in late 2024
At the time of writing this article, April 2025 live cattle futures were trading just above $197, which was a fresh contract high. The market appears to be incorporating a risk premium due to uncertainty in beef production in both Canada and the U.S. This has provided Alberta feedlot operators opportunities to lock in favourable […] Read more
Flipping cow depreciation on its head
Costs of Production: Open cows have a huge effect — especially when they are two-year-olds
I am keenly interested in cow depreciation and in fact have written about it in past Grainews columns. It is one of the largest direct expenses on a cow-calf operation — usually only behind feed — and it is worth touching on again in the wake of current record-high prices. First as a reminder, Figure […] Read more
Feeder cattle prices should remain at historical highs in 2025
The Markets: Heifer retention is expected this year in both Canada and the U.S.
At the time of writing this article in the latter half of December, U.S. and Canadian feeder cattle prices were trading at or near historical highs. I’ve received many inquiries from cattle producers regarding the price outlook for feeder cattle in 2025. The benchmark for the western Canadian feeder market is central Alberta. During December […] Read more
Feeder market trades at or near historical highs
The Markets: Larger supplies by numbers and weight will mean more beef supply year over year
During the last week of October, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $403-$408 per hundredweight ($242-$245/cwt on a live basis). This was unchanged from a month earlier. Breakeven pen closeouts are in the range of $250-$255/cwt, so margins are in negative territory for the time being. The […] Read more
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