It sounds like a broken record, but feeder cattle prices in Saskatchewan remain at record high levels.

The Cattle Market Update from Canfax covering the week ending April 25 shows prices for most feeder steer and heifer weight categories all increased compared to the previous week.

Prices for the steers ranged from $394.08 per cwt in the 800-900 lb category up to $602.67 per cwt in the 400-500 lb category. The largest week-over-week price increase among steers was $8.92 in the 600-700 lb category. Data wasn’t available in the 300-400, 500-600, and 900+ lb categories.

Prices for the heifers ranged from $385 per cwt in the 800+ lb category up to $498.83 per cwt in the 500-600 lb category. The biggest price increase over the past week was in the 500-600 lb category of $17.50. There was no available data for the 300-400 and 400-500 lb categories.

Emily Schmidt, Livestock Intern at the Ministry of Agriculture, says new record high prices were set in all the reported steer and heifer weight categories.

Schmidt says the live cattle and feeder futures market continues to support cash prices. Demand for feeder cattle, current supply, and optimism in the market are likely other contributing factors.

She also says cattle sold at auction was higher last week at 5,603 head compared to the previous week, but its down from the volume of feeder cattle marketed the same time last year of 13,353 head.

Prices of market ready cattle were higher compared to the prior week. The price of D2 slaughter cows was $224.50 per cwt, up $2.44 from the previous week and topping the previous record price set the prior week, noted Canfax. The price of D3 slaughter cows was up $1.55 to average $201.30 per cwt.

A new record price was set for Alberta fed steers at $288.83 per cwt, an increase of $5.03 from the previous week when it averaged $283.80 per cwt. This price is $30.90 per cwt above the same week a year ago when it averaged $257.93 per cwt, Canfax said.