(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market in consolidation mode

Feeder values in West showing premium over U.S.

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quite variable depending on the weight category. Replacement cattle weighing over 800 lbs. were steady to $4 lower while feeders weighing 700-800 lbs. traded steady to $4 higher on average. Feeder cattle under 600 lbs. were unchanged from seven days earlier. The fed cattle market […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Rains, lower demand pressure grain bids

Old-crop demand 'not that strong anymore'

MarketsFarm — With feedlots across Western Canada already stocked up on feed barley and wheat for their animals, reduced demand for those crops and recent wet weather have left high-delivered bids mixed. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids for feed barley remained steady in Saskatchewan at $6 per bushel, went down […] Read more

(Vaclav Volrab/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Alternatives in greater demand

MarketsFarm — Price increases for feed barley and wheat in Western Canada have caused more feeders to look elsewhere for sustenance for their livestock. Prices over the last year have shot up 25 to 40 per cent, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire. “Any time you run into a high-priced commodity market, the cost of feeding […] Read more


File photo of hogs on a Chinese farm. (Songqiuju/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Grain exports, prices rise

MarketsFarm — As more Canadian feed grains make their way overseas, especially into China, domestic buyers may need to pay more secure supplies from emptying bins over the next few months. “Anything extra we’re able to export is getting exported at this point,” Brandon Motz, owner and sales manager of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta., […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Calf prices ratcheting higher

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$4 on either side of unchanged; mid-weight calves were also unchanged while lighter calves traded steady to as much as $6 higher. Alberta and Saskatchewan have experienced adverse weather over the past couple of weeks; however, feedlots in southern Alberta appeared to be more aggressive for […] Read more

(File photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Prices plateauing

MarketsFarm — While prices for feed grains have risen over the last month along with several other commodities, they’ve now declined a little bit, according to Erin Harakal, senior trader with Agfinity in Stony Plain, Alta. “For short-term movement like November-December we’ve seen them come off the most compared to the late-January/early-March time frame,” she […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Bids hold firm in West

MarketsFarm — Feed grain bids in Western Canada remain firm at the beginning of October, with a lack of significant farmer selling keeping the market underpinned as harvest wraps up across the Prairies. The barley harvest is mostly complete across the Prairies, but total yields and production remain to be seen. “The market is still […] Read more


CME November 2020 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures slip as feed grain prices soar

Firm cash prices support CME hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures retreated on Wednesday after the December contract hit its highest price in more than a month, while feeder cattle futures slumped as prices surged for grain used as animal feed. The rally in U.S. grain futures prices hung over cattle markets because livestock producers will be more […] Read more

CBOT December corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn up as hog futures soar

Soybeans down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed to their highest in five months on Thursday as news of a swine disease in Germany fueled expectations of increased demand for U.S. pork and feed grains, traders said. Firm cash markets for corn ahead of the start of the U.S. Midwest harvest added support, along with […] Read more