Slaughter cattle down
SASKATOON (Staff) – Average slaughter cattle prices were $2 per hundredweight lower last week.
Showlists from Alberta feedlots, at 15,000 head, weren’t huge but Canfax said local packers are comfortable with that amount of live inventory as demand from the consumer end of the chain has slowed.
Beef retail features were less frequent. Good movement usually lasts past the Canada Day holiday weekend, but Canfax speculated retailers have enough inventory to ease off on their buying.
Wholesale beef prices in Montreal were forecast to be off by $2 at $153 per cwt. and off by $1 in Calgary, ranging between $122-$127 per cwt.
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Slaughter cattle prices were prevented from moving any lower by buying from eastern Canadian and American packers. Trade on June 20 saw steers bring $71-$75 on the hoof while railgrade bids were flat at $122.90-$123.90. No live heifers traded but heifers on the rail were also flat at $122.60.
Feeder cattle up
While slaughter cattle prices were lower, cow and feeder prices increased last week. Slaughter cow prices averaged $1.50-$2 per cwt. higher on light demand. D1 and D2 cows were priced from $39-$48 on the hoof, and $82-$85 on the rail.
Relatively scarce supplies of feeder cattle and active buying allowed prices to go $1 per cwt. higher last week, Canfax said.
Sheep prices
The Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board reports new-crop lamb prices of $1.18 per pound while slaughter sheep are at 34 cents per lb. All sizes of goats are priced from 55-60 cents per lb.
