Slaughter cattle up
CALGARY (Staff) – Slaughter cattle prices, on average, were higher during the past week.
Good local packer demand and interest from American packers allowed prices to rise by $1 per hundredweight by midweek, although prices eased along with demand later in the week, Canfax said.
Trade on Feb. 29 saw steers trade from $74.50-$76.15 per cwt. with heifers trading from $73.50-$75.75.
Canfax said some fall calves were finished and sold last week, fetching a premium compared to the long yearlings that had previously dominated the slaughter mix. Feedlots were willing sellers at the prices offered last week, with about 13,000 head sold to packers in Alberta.
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While beef movement at the wholesale and retail level is fairly sluggish and large kills continue to guarantee ample supplies, prices didn’t suffer.
Slaughter cows traded stronger this week, Canfax said, driven by reasonable movement for manufactured beef and smaller offerings. U.S. buying interest also figured in the higher prices. D1 and D2 cows traded from $38-$51 per cwt. Top prices were paid from $51-$54.75 per cwt. Railgrade cows were bid at $85 per cwt.
Feeder prices steady
Buoyed by the behavior of the slaughter cattle market, feeder prices were steady this week, Canfax said, with a few sales done at a premium. Local demand on grass-type feeders was stronger, as was American interest. Volumes were steady with the previous week and the same week in 1995.
For females, bred cows ranged from $400-$950 a head , while heifers were priced from $450-$900. Canfax reported pairs prices ranged from $700-$850.
