(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle prices climbing

Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were trading $5-$7 above week-ago levels, with higher-quality cattle trading as much as $10 higher. It’s difficult to quarrel with one’s bread and butter; feedlot margins are now in positive territory and cattle feeders are keen on ownership with the positive outlook into the March timeframe. Feature presort calf sales […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures extend rally on packer demand

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures extended gains to fresh multi-month highs on Friday, buoyed by technical buying and strong demand from beef and pork packers, traders said. Live cattle jumped more than one per cent at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, capping their fifth consecutive week of higher prices. Lean hog futures […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Hogs, cattle firm on pre-holiday technical buying

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures gained one per cent on Wednesday while live and feeder cattle each rose modestly, boosted by technical buying and good demand from meat packers ahead of Thursday’s U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange December lean hogs notched a two-month high, before finishing just below […] Read more


(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs falter on profit-taking after two-month high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures eased about one per cent on Tuesday as investors locked in profits after prices earlier climbed to the highest levels in more than two months, traders and analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were slightly higher and feeder cattle narrowly lower, in largely technically-driven trade ahead […] Read more

More thoughts on market options

More thoughts on market options

You may not need a price premium to see benefits of preconditioned calves

Market analyst Jerry Klassen in his recent column isn’t painting a very bright cattle price outlook picture heading into this winter and early into 2017. An oversupply of beef in the U.S. and Canada is holding prices down. And of course those pork guys continue to push more product out the door — a lot […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle jump on positive outlook

Average prices for steer and heifer calves jumped $8-$10 this past week with some buyers reporting values as much as $15 above week-ago levels. Feedlot operators could feel it in their bones earlier in November and there were no strings attached on orders flowing across the Prairies. Favourable weather reinforced the narrow premium of weaned […] Read more