Saskatchewan feeder cattle prices were supported again by cattle futures, keeping prices at or near record highs.
Canfax’s weekly cattle market update for the week ending March 28 shows price increases for most of the steer and heifer weight categories.
Steer prices ranged from $352.25 per cwt in the 900-plus category to $565.63 in the 400-500 pound category. The 500-600 pound steers had the largest week-over-week price increase of $14.82 per cwt. No data was available for the 300-400 pound steers.
Heifer prices ranged from $356.50 in the 800-plus pound category to $515.00 in the 300-400 pound category. The 500-600 pound category had the largest price increase of $17.62. Livestock Intern at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Emily Schmidt says the 500-600, 600-700, and 700-800 hundred pound heifer categories reached new highs while the record price for 800-plus pound heifers was matched.
The Canfax price for Alberta fed steers for the week ending March 28 was up $9.06 to $282.03 per cwt.
The price for D2 slaughter cows averaged $206.70 per cwt, an increase of $2.74 from the prior week, and D3 slaughter cows averaged $190.78 per cwt, an increase of $2.86 from the previous week.
Schmidt noted a drop in corn prices contributed to the current feeder cattle prices, adding the increase in cattle marketed is likely attributed to the continued uncertainty around tariffs.
The March feeder cattle contract was up 28 cents to close Friday at $286.76 per hundred weight (cwt) and the April contract was up $1.95 to close Friday at $286.92 per cwt. Live cattle futures were also up; the April contract increased $1.87 to $208.82 per cwt, while the June contract increased $2.07 to $204.85 per cwt.
There were more cattle sold at auction last week at 17,165 head compared to the previous week’s 9-thousand 984 head. The number of feeder cattle sold last week was above the total recorded the same week last year, when 14,088 head were marketed. So far this year, 132,754 head of feeder cattle have been marketed, which is 26 per cent above last year.
