Cattle Market Update: Price benchmark set for feeder steers, heifers

New highs for feeder steer and heifer prices in Saskatchewan were recorded last week, according to the Cattle Market Update for the week ending April 18.

Prices were available in all steer categories except for the 900-plus pound steers and most of the heifers, except for the 300-400 and 400-500 pound categories.

Emily Schmidt, livestock Intern at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says new record prices were set in the 300-400, 400-500, 600-700, and 800-900 pound categories for the steers, adding the 300-400 pound steers surpassed the $600 per cwt mark for the first time. Record prices were also set in the 500-600, 600-700, 700-800, and 800-plus pound categories for the heifers with the 700-800 pound heifers averaging over $400 per cwt for the first time.

Saskatchewan Feeder Steer and Heifer prices for the week ending April 28, 2025. | Source: Canfax, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

Schmidt says the cattle futures market continues to support the cash market. The April feeder cattle contract was up $8.17 to close Thursday at $293.35 per cwt and the May feeder cattle contract was up by 8.15 to close Thursday at $286.85 per cwt. Regarding live cattle futures, the April contract increased by $7.35 to close Thursday at $209.82 per cwt and the June contract was up $7.27 to close Thursday at $204.07 per cwt.

Schmidt also says the fed cattle market is also supporting cash prices, with the price for Alberta fed steers 19 cents below the record set the previous week; Alberta fed steers for the week ending April 18 averaged $283.80 per cwt. Demand for grass as livestock feed was another factor, as well as the lower volume of feeder cattle sold at auction last week compared to the previous week.