This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca.
Record high market
Western Canadian fed cattle prices continued to hold at record-high levels for the week ending April 17.
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Alberta fed steers averaged $283.80 per cwt., while heifers finished the week at $281.66 per cwt.
Despite western Canadian packers scaling back their hours, supplies have not backed up.
According to Canfax, the feedlot industry appears to have gained currentness partly as a result of the huge volumes of fed cattle exported to the United States during the last few months.
In terms of supply, yearling numbers are declining, and fed calves still have a while to go before they will hit the market.
Dressed sales for the week were reported at $475 per cwt. delivered, with cattle being scheduled for delivery immediately and into late May.
Cattle were purchased by all three western Canadian packers, with limited interest from U.S. packers.
Dressed sales in Ontario were reported at $480 per cwt. delivered, dropping by $5 per cwt. from the week prior. Cattle were scheduled for delivery from late April to early May.
For the month of February, Canadian beef exports were 18 per cent below last year’s volumes. Beef exports have been below year-ago levels for nine consecutive months now.
Non-fed market rallies
Alberta butcher cows sold through auction markets rallied the week ending April 17, with D2 cow prices $10 per cwt. higher than the previous week. D3 cow prices were up almost $2 per cwt. from the previous week.
Butcher bulls brought $2 per cwt. more than the previous week, while feeder cow prices rose by $6.50 per cwt.
Since January, D2 cow prices have risen by 22 per cent. Prices for D3 cows, feeder cows and butcher bulls have increased by 20 per cent.
In Ontario, D2 cow prices were up by almost $3.50 per cwt., while D3 cows were fully steady with the previous week.
Since the start of the year, Ontario D2 cow prices have increased by 15 per cent, while D3 cows have risen by 13 per cent.
Optimism strong
Multiple record-high prices were set across several feeder cattle classes during the week ending April 17.
Alberta steers and heifers between 400 and 800 pounds have now rallied for three weeks in a row.
The only weight class that didn’t set a new high was steers weighing more than 900 lb., which softened $2.41 from the previous week .
Since the start of 2025, 800-900 lb. steers have rallied by three per cent, remaining steady with the five-year average.
Grass buyers are staying active on the feeder market to secure cattle for the spring, helping to boost optimism.
After hitting a low of $277.82 per cwt. in early April, the nearby feeder cattle contract rebounded by $15.53 per cwt. to set a high of $293.35 per cwt.
The 550-lb. steer-to-heifer price spread was $72.34 per cwt. for March, a record-wide spread. This has widened each month since November 2024.
On the other hand, the 850-lb. steer-to-heifer spread has narrowed to $36 per cwt.
Bred heifers brought $3,300 to $6,400 per head during the week ending April 17, averaging $4,554 per head.
Bred cows averaged $3,992 per head, ranging from $2,600 to $5,700 per head.
Both bred heifer and cow prices are down $300 per head from the highs set earlier this year.
Cow-calf pairs brought an average of $5,250 per pair. This is $538 per head higher than the annual high set last year.
Canadian feeder cattle exports to the United States for the week ending April 5 were 7,696 head. This volume is 139 per cent larger than this time last year.
Year-to-date exports have almost doubled compared to 2024 at 70,750 head. This is the largest year-to-date volume seen for this time of year since 2022.
Cutouts stable
U.S. cut-out prices remained stable during the week, with Choice closing the week around US$334-335 per cwt. and Select in the range of $314-316 per cwt.
The Choice-to-Select spread was $19 per cwt. For the past three weeks, this has stayed in the range of $17-$20.
