For the week ending June 13, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Steady demand underpinned a week of lower auction market volumes.
The quality was quite variable but feedlot operators showed no hesitation on larger packages of preconditioned calves and yearlings. Some cow calf producers have liquidated calves or cow/calf pairs due to dryer conditions in certain regions of Western Canada. Wholesale choice beef traded at US$376/cwt on June 12. This was up US$10/cwt from seven days earlier and a fresh historical high.
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U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle extend rally to new highs
Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures extended gains to record highs on Wednesday while live cattle futures set a contract high before pulling back.
On Thursday, June 12, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $502-$505/cwt delivered, up $10-$12/cwt from a month earlier. Live prices in Southern Alberta were quoted at $298/cwt fob feedlot and breakeven pen closeout values are around $270/cwt.
North of Saskatoon, mixed steers on backgrounding ration with full preconditioning averaging 1,000 pounds sold for $390/cwt fob farm. At the Killarney sale on June 9, a smaller package of black steers with mean weight of 909 pounds dropped the gavel at $432/cwt. At the same sale, black steers evaluated at 817 pounds reportedly sold for $460/cwt. A the Ponoka sales on June 11, Angus Simmental cross heifers scaled at 841 pounds with full processing data on mostly hay diet were last bid at $421/cwt.
At the Dawson Creek sale, a larger package of 715-pound Angus steer calves on light grain and hay diet on full herd health program sold for $494/cwt. At the same sale, a smaller package of mixed heifer calves weighing 700 pounds apparently moved at $440/cwt.
At the Westlock sale, mixed weaned steers on the card at 625 pounds on silage and hay diet with preconditioning records traded for $548/cwt. The Killarney sale report had a smaller package of 600 pound steers notching the board at $599/cwt. At the Dawson Creek sale, Angus based heifers on light grain and hay diet with full herd health data averaging 633 pounds settled at $485.
Southeast of Calgary, steer calves of higher quality genetics weighing 500-525 pounds were trading from $600/cwt to as high as $628/cwt. In southern Alberta, weaned Simmental cross calves with a mean weight of 510 pounds were valued at $615. In the same region, red Angus cross heifers around 510 pounds supposedly sold for $555.
Calf prices for September through November delivery are quoted $20-$30/cwt below current levels. Buyers have incorporated a discount in anticipation of the opening of the U.S. border to Mexican feeder cattle. Secondly, the June 2026 live cattle futures are trading at a US$22/cwt discount to the June 2025 contract. For yearlings off grass, the market for August and September is trading at a $10-$15/cwt discount from prices of similar weight quoted in this issue.
