Cattle prices steady
Prices for all classes of cattle remain steady as buyer interest
continues to be flat.
Fewer fat cattle were sold with bids similar to last week’s. About
14,000 were sold, down 23 percent from the week previous. Finished
steers traded between $104.75-$106.75, flat rail $175.65-$177.15.
Heifers were $2 less. Slaughter cows continue to make a poor showing
at $49-$63 per hundredweight.
Carcass weights continue to escalate and are about 20 pounds heavier
than January 2001 figures. Steers are coming in at 853 lb. The average
Read Also
China’s grain imports have slumped big-time
China purchased just over 20 million tonnes of wheat, corn, barley and sorghum last year, that is well below the 60 million tonnes purchased in 2021-22.
heifer carcass is weighing in at 801 lb. compared to 769 last year.
The cattle are grading well with 49 percent at AAA and 48 percent
grading AA.
Fewer feeders were offered and traded at steady prices last week.
Canfax says continued losses in feedlots are pressuring the price paid
for heavier feeders. Steers weighing over 900 lb. averaged $109.76
while lighter weights in the 500-600 lb. range captured $142.91.
Lightweight heifers were $10 per cwt. cheaper. Steers in the 600-700
lb. category averaged $128.68.
Hog prices rise
Hog prices were up slightly. Saskatchewan reported its pool price at
$156.30 per hundred kilograms, up from $155 the week before. Manitoba
hogs traded around $159 per ckg.
Overall, cash prices were higher due to a smaller-than-anticipated
kill.
Sheep prices from the mid-January sale were 95-115 lb. lambs, $78-$92
per cwt. with an average of $86.25 per cwt. Lambs in the 81-94 lb.
weight range were between $89.50-$108.50 to average $98.
Statistics Canada released its barley summary at the end of January
showing stocks at their lowest levels since 1984. The harvest was
estimated at slightly more than 11.4 million tonnes. As of the end of
December, barley closing stocks were at 7.8 million tonnes.
Lower feed grain levels have pumped up prices with March western
barley futures closing at $162.20, up $2 from the end of January.
Cheaper American corn continues to fill the shortfall. Statistics
Canada reported nearly one million tonnes of corn entered Canada
between August and the end of January.
