Klassen: Feeder market continues to climb

For the week ending August 30, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $4-$8/cwt larger on common. High quality yearling and calf packages had been up as a lot as $15/cwt in some instances.

Weaker feed grain costs and stronger fed cattle values within the deferred positions are the principle components driving the feeder market larger. Alberta packers had been shopping for fed cattle on a dressed foundation for supply inside two or three weeks at a median worth of $510/cwt. Utilizing a 60 per cent grading this equates to a reside worth of $306/cwt. For April 2026 supply, Alberta packers had been displaying delivered bids at $549/cwt dressed and $329/cwt reside.

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Harvest is progressing throughout the Prairies and feed barley provides are down $5-$10/tonne from week-ago ranges.

South of Edmonton, a cattle producer reported combined “run-of-the-mill” clear up steers with medium flesh ranges on backgrounding barley and silage ration with full processing data evaluated at 985 kilos bought for $446/cwt fob backgrounding lot.

Close to Coronation, the TEAM public sale report had a gaggle of 200 Charolais cross Angus steers with contact of unique options off grass focused at 1,040 kilos promoting for $461/cwt with supply scheduled for September 23. The identical report had 180 Charolais heifers off grass weighing 1,020 kilos buying and selling for $445/cwt fob ranch close to Drayton Valley for mid-October supply.

The Ponoka market report had 200 black steers weighing 950 kilos off grass and minerals with full processing information moved by way of the ring at $475/cwt. On the similar sale, a gaggle of 26 combined heifers weighing 802 kilos off a eating regimen of rolled barley and barley silage with processing data had been final bid at $477/cwt.

In Central Saskatchewan, a cattle producer reported that Simmental Angus cross steers weighing 810 kilos off grass with full preconditioning had been valued $515/cwt. Southwest of Calgary, a smaller package deal of Simmental cross heifers off grass apparently traded for $485/cwt.

Northeast of Calgary, a producer reported that black broad body Limousin cross steers off grass and minimal weighing 720 kilos traded for $557/cwt. In the identical area, bigger body combined heifers averaging 730 kilos straight off pasture had been valued at $510/cwt.

On the Gladstone Public sale in Manitoba, purple and black unique steer calves averaging 516 kilos traded for $717/cwt. Over the subsequent few weeks, we’ll see bigger packages of calves offering a extra outlined worth construction.

The feeder market is functioning to encourage enlargement. In line with Statistics Canada, beef cows that had calved as of July 1 had been 3.466 million head, up 13,000 head from July 1, 2024. Heifers for beef cow substitute got here in at 600,000 head, up 11,000 head from 12 months earlier