Big cattle moving well
Extra heavy cattle coming out of feedlots raised some eyebrows at slaughter plants this month. Good summer feeding weather put four pounds a day on some cattle, resulting in carcasses exceeding 800 lb.
Movement of these big cattle was steady last week with heifers earning a $3 per hundredweight premium over steers. Canfax predicts it will take two more weeks to move the heavy cattle through slaughter plants and a large portion of them have been shipped to the United States. Finished steers sold for $79.10-$85.75, flat rail $137.80. Heifers were $82.75-$86, flat rail $141.60.
Read Also
Working groups established to address challenges in the containerized and bulk movement of commodities
CN is working with the pulse and special crops sector on resolving challenges in shipping those commodities.
Feeders slipped again with 600 pound steers averaging $108 as of Sept. 11 compared to $112 per cwt. the week before. Same weight heifers enjoyed higher bids at $109 compared to last week’s $100 average. Prices are expected to decline somewhat since feed barley prices have risen and feedlots are starting to fill pen space.
Barley f.o.b. Lethbridge closed at $127 and feed wheat was $125-$140 in lots of 100 tonnes or more.
Hog prices dip
On the pork side, prices were generally sluggish although in Manitoba, index 100 hog prices remained close to $179 per 100 kilograms until Sept. 11, when the average price dropped by $3 per 100 kg in response to the U.S. trend where slaughter numbers and pork demand are down. In Saskatchewan the floor price was $171.
Manitoba’s pork processing sector continues to strengthen in contrast to the situation in the other Prairie provinces where labor uncertainty is causing concern.
