Cattle Markets Improving

Prices seem to be turning around on the cattle markets.

Brian Perillat is the Manager and Senior Analyst at Canfax.

"On the feeder cattle side we've seen a bit of spring pressure over the last couple months. There seems to be some stability there, seeing some improvement in the markets in general. We've seen certainly some more interest in calves, anything destined for the grass markets certainly picked up on five and six weight steers, probably hitting some of their highest prices of the year."

Perillat adds feed grain costs continue to rise, which works against feedlot profitability.

He notes calving season is right around the corner for many producers.

"Now with guys pushing calving seasons back, the bulk of the cows probably avoided the cold weather," said Perillat. "Certainly some producers have gone through it. Hopefully we don't have the issues we had last year with the cull cows or tough calving conditions. Keeping cow numbers at bay, we've certainly seen a little bit of strength here over the last couple of weeks too. Cull cow prices have moved up and more cows closer to that 90 cent range, which is near the highest point it's been at this year."

He notes producers are continuing to keep a close watch on the Canadian dollar, which is sitting around the 75 cent mark.