Fed steers traded at $83.45-$85 per hundredweight live to average $84.85 in the week ending June 18, down $3. Rail prices were $141.75-$142.85.Heifer trade was $83.45-$85 live to average $84.76, down $3.10. Rail prices were $142.85.Cattle are not gaining weight as they struggle in wet pens. That is a problem for feeders, but it is supporting prices by keeping the amount of produced beef manageable.Feedlots kept cattle moving despite the lower prices.The volume sold was 26,566 head, down 15 percent from the week before.Captive supply declined to 72 percent of the total show list.Fed exports to the United States to June 5 were 10,396 head, up from 9,722 head the previous week. So far this year, exports are up 20 percent.Fed prices could be pressured lower with cut-out prices falling and so-so retail and food service demand in Western Canada.Non-fed slaughter animals made up a large part of the volume.D1, D2 cows fell $3.25 per cwt. to average $55.48. The D3 cow average fell $3.70 to $47.94.Rail grade cows were $108-$112.Butcher bulls were $58.40-$80 to average $70.90, down $4.10.Weekly non-fed exports to the U.S. to June 5 fell four percent.Non-fed auction volumes should start to tighten as fields dry and farming operations resume.Several auction markets said volume was too small to establish a trend because of wet weather.With the tighter supply, feeders rose about $1 per cwt.Steers on average rose 80 cents and heifers were $1.10 higher.Grass steers lighter than 600 pounds rose $1-$2.25 with good forage available. Steers heavier than 600 lb. were steady to slightly higher.Heifers 500-600 lb. rose $1.40, while 600-700 lb. slipped 70 cents.Heifers 700-900 lb. gained 75 cents-$1.10 while those heavier than 900 lb. fell $1.30.Auction volume of 20,911 head was one percent higher than the week before and 14 percent higher than last year. Volume is up nine percent in the year to date.Feeder exports to the U.S. to June 5 totalled 2,866 head, down 42 percent. Exports are down 36 percent in the year to date and are expected to trend seasonally lower.Favourable pasture conditions appear to have reduced the number of large herd dispersals, but with current prices a substantial number of small lot bred females and pairs are still going to auction.Bred cow prices were $680-$1,000, up $33 per head to average $820.63.Bred heifers are in good demand, but auction volumes were insufficient to quote prices.Cow-calf pairs were $800-$1,580 to average $1,182.U.S. Choice cutouts fell $1.69 US to close at $153.47 per cwt. and Select rose two cents to close at $146.20.Weak job creation in the U.S. threatens to keep beef consumption weak.Weekly Canadian slaughter to June 12 fell two percent to 70,473 head.Alberta slaughter to June 12 was 55,163 head, down three percent.Canadian AAA cutouts to June 12 fell $12.05 Cdn.AA cutouts were $13.38 lower.Retailers are holding back from buying because they expect lower prices in the near future.The Montreal wholesale market for delivery this week slipped to $176-$178.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.
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