Fed cattle traded 50 cents to $1 per hundredweight higher for the week ending Nov. 28.
Alberta railgrade prices Nov. 27 were $147.85-$150.85 for steers and $150-$151.90 for heifers, but by Dec. 2 were down to about $148 for steers and heifers.
Feedlots have few surplus animals. Canfax said current numbers heading into the finished yearling run in December are a good sign for price stability.
Beef prices were steady at $172 per cwt. in Montreal and $148-$155 in Calgary last week.
The spot fed cattle basis, Calgary to Omaha, widened to -$6.81 from -$6.24 the previous week.
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In feeder cattle, the last of the fall run was apparent from the number of head on offer – only 55,500 in Alberta compared to more than 70,000 the previous week.
Canfax said prices were steady, but higher on lighter weights. The feeder outlook is for steady to higher prices in December as fewer cattle come on the market.
Hog futures sink
U.S. hog futures have drifted lower as packers start moving more pork products into freezers. Packers will probably be conservative as they estimate Christmas demand judging by poor domestic demand in previous months. Disappointing export sales have also weighed on the market.
However, the lower Canadian dollar has mitigated the price slide. The Manitoba 100 index, including weight premiums, for Dec. 1 was $162.68 per 100 kilograms.
Sheep and lamb
The Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board reports live slaughter lambs are selling for $1.14 per pound, feeder lambs are $1.22, slaughter sheep are 46 cents and goats are 65 cents.
