For the week ending Aug. 30, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $4-8 per hundredweight higher on average. Quality yearling and calf packages were up as much as $15 per cwt. in some cases. Weaker feed grain prices along stronger fed cattle values in the deferred positions are the main factors driving the feeder market higher.
Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis for delivery within two or three weeks at an average price of $510 per cwt. Using a 60 per cent grading this equates to a live price of $306 per cwt. For April 2026 delivery, Alberta packers were showing delivered bids at $549 per cwt. dressed and $329 per cwt. live. Harvest is progressing across the Prairies, and feed barley offers are down $5-10 per tonne from week-ago levels.
South of Edmonton, a producer reported mixed “run-of-the-mill” clean-up steers with medium flesh levels on backgrounding barley and silage ration with full processing records evaluated at 985 pounds sold for $446 per cwt. FOB backgrounding lot.
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Near Coronation, the TEAM auction report had a group of 200 Charolais-Angus cross steers with touch of exotic features off grass targeted at 1,040 lb. selling for $461 per cwt. with delivery scheduled for Sept. 23. The same report had 180 Charolais heifers off grass weighing 1,020 lb. trading for $445 per cwt. FOB ranch near Drayton Valley for mid-October delivery.
The Ponoka market report had 200 black steers weighing 950 lb. off grass and minerals with full processing data moving through the ring at $475 per cwt. At the same sale, a group of 26 mixed heifers weighing 802 lb. off a diet of rolled barley and barley silage with processing records were last bid at $477 per cwt.
In central Saskatchewan, a producer reported that Simmental-Angus cross steers weighing 810 lb. off grass with full preconditioning were valued $515 per cwt. Southwest of Calgary, a smaller package of Simmental-cross heifers off grass apparently traded for $485 per cwt.
Northeast of Calgary, a producer reported that black wide-frame Limousin-cross steers off grass weighing 720 lb. traded for $557 per cwt. In the same region, larger-frame mixed heifers averaging 730 lb. straight off pasture were valued at $510 per cwt.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll see larger packages of calves providing a more defined price structure. The Westlock market report had a smaller package of Gelbvieh-Fleckvieh cross weaned steers on full herd health averaging a shade under 600 lb. off grass trading for $600 per cwt. At the same sale, similar-quality heifers marked at 572 lb. silenced the crowd at $567 per cwt.
At the Gladstone Auction in Manitoba, red and black exotic steer calves averaging 516 lb. traded for $717 per cwt.
The feeder market is functioning to encourage expansion. According to Statistics Canada, beef cows that calved as of July 1 were 3.466 million head, up 13,000 head from July 1, 2024. Replacement heifers came in at 600,000 head, up 11,000 head from a year ago.
There was a minor surprise on the Statistics Canada July 1 Semi-Annual Inventory Report. The number of Western Canadian calves and yearlings outside finishing feedlots as of July 1 were 3.937 million head, up two per cent or 76,500 head from July 1, 2024. These are the number of feeder cattle on backgrounding operations and cow-calf operations. Earlier in summer, we were expecting feeder supplies outside finishing feedlots in Western Canada to be down about 150,000 head from year-ago levels.
