Lighter cattle marketed
Positive margins for finished cattle have encouraged more timely marketing, bringing down carcass weights from record levels of the past two years.
Carcass weights for Alberta steers have dropped to 776 pounds from 850 lb. Spring weights are typically lower, but high feed costs are encouraging producers to market sooner.
However, with cattle moving to market sooner, quality grades have slipped, said Cindy Delaloye of the Canadian Grading Agency.
The AAA grade level is at its lowest in four years. Normally more than half make the top grade. Last year, 51 percent of steers and heifers graded AAA compared to this year where 46 percent fit that category. Canfax predicts that by the end of April, AAA grades could be down to a third of the graded kill.
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In addition, lighter weight cattle tend to stress more easily, resulting in twice as many dark cutters as last year. Cattle grading B4 are generally a small percentage of the overall slaughter inventory but more have been noticed this year because of fluctuating weather in the feedlots and during shipping. Of the 771,000 killed so far this year, only about 2,000 have been downgraded said Delaloye.
Another problem with this year’s sloppy spring is a higher percentage of dirty cattle coming out of feedlots. Too much tag on the hides has resulted in price discounts for live animals.
Last week Alberta steers weighing 600 lb. fetched $137. 43 while heifers were averaging $127.37. Saskatchewan had same-weight steers averaging $139 but heifers were only fetching $123.
Alberta steers over 800 lb. were $115 and heifers were $109. Saskatchewan bids were $1 less for steers and $1 higher for heifers.
More cattle are staying at home because of the stronger Canadian dollar and a narrow basis. To date, 67,979 feeders have been exported to the United States. This is about half of last year’s calf exports. However, slaughter exports are staying even with last year with 151,358 going stateside for the first quarter of the year.
Hogs go cheaper
Live hog prices have been reduced by about four percent below the week before.
Manitoba Agriculture reports federally inspected hog packers were paying an average $139 per hundredweight for index 100 hogs.
Slaughter across Canada is up from last year. To date, 439,285 were killed compared to 374,910 in 2002.
Spot weanling prices for 23 kilogram pigs were $52.53-$74.43 a head.
The U.S. hog inventory report as of March 1 said numbers are down for all classes of swine by two percent. Last year at this time, there were 59.2 million hogs compared to this year’s 58.1 million. Fewer farrowings are reported but the number of weaned pigs remains about the same at 8.8 per sow.
Easter lamb
With Easter approaching, Sunterra Meats in Alberta is offering $120-$135 per cwt. for new-crop lambs. Heavy lambs over 110 lb. are going for $100-$115. Toronto lambs over 110 lb. are fetching $110-$132.49 per cwt. Lambs weighing 95-109 lb. are ranging $141-$166 per cwt.
