Fed steers steady
Fed cattle prices last week were mostly steady.
Heifers lost $1.50 per hundredweight because of limited trade, Canfax said.
Slightly more than 17,000 head traded, down 15 percent from the week before. Producers appear reluctant to sell at the lower prices, said Canfax.
Alberta prices Dec. 16 in light trade saw steers at $139 per cwt. dressed and heifers $82-$83 live.
With Christmas and New Years holiday closures, packers need fewer cattle.
In the new year, supplies will grow so larger kills will be needed to keep basis levels near the recent $20-under level, said Canfax.
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Canadian cutouts saw no change. Movement was slow leading into Christmas but kills were also smaller.
U.S. cutouts were lower with choice down $4.25 US and select down $6.25. Movement, however, was considered better at the lower prices.
Canadian wholesale carcass prices settled for the rest of the year with Calgary at $141-$145 Cdn per cwt. Byproduct values fell $2-$5 per head.
Quality hurts feeder price
Alberta’s auction market volume rose three percent over the week before. Averages were lower as quality became a bigger factor.
Steers 300-400 lb. were down $6.75 per cwt. in limited trade. Steers 400-500 lb. were $2.50 lower, while 500-600 lb. fell 50 cents.
Steers 600-800 lb. fell $1-$1.50 and 800-900 lb. and heavier were steady to 75 cents lower.
Heifers 300-800 lb. fell $1-$2, while 800-900 lb. and heavier were 25-50 cents lower.
D1, 2 cows traded steady to $1 higher and butcher bulls were steady, Canfax said.
Most auction markets are closed between Christmas and New Years. Volumes are typically lighter for January with prices off slightly from December averages.
Stock bred cow trade was mostly $500-$900 on quality with excellent quality up to $1,250. A few bred cows were as low as $250.
Bred heifers in central and southern Alberta were $750-$1,300.
Cow-calf pairs in southern Alberta were $650-$850.
Hog prices fall
Live hog prices fell in Canada and the United States. The average Iowa-Minnesota daily direct hog price (51-52 percent lean carcass converted to live weight) fell by about 5.4 percent between Dec. 13 and 16, ending at $51.45 US per cwt. The cutout fell by $2.13 a cwt. over the week to $71.95.
U.S. analysts believe packers have bought enough hogs for the Christmas week and major buying may not resume until January.
In Manitoba, for the week ending Dec. 3, five-kilogram pig spot prices climbed to $73.51 Cdn per pig while contract prices reached highs of $48. Spot prices for 23-kg pigs were to a high of $99 per pig and top contracts were at $73.51. The U.S. national direct delivered price for five-kg pigs (converted to Canadian dollars) was $37.97-$66.16 a pig and the 23-kg pigs ranged from $83.31-$90.66.
Sheep, lambs up
Ontario Stockyards reported 4,802 sheep and lambs and 944 goats traded. Good new-crop lambs sold on good demand at higher prices. All others rose by $10 per cwt. Sheep and goats sold $5-$10 higher.
