Saskatchewan feeder cattle prices rebounded last week after two prior weeks of declines, according to Canfax’s weekly Cattle Market Update covering the week ending March 21.
All the reported feeder steer and heifer categories had prices increases compared to the prior week, as shown in the table below. Prices for the steers ranged from $347.83 per cwt in the 900-plus pound category to $518.06 per cwt in the 500-600 pound category. Prices for the heifers ranged from $346.50 per cwt in the 800-plus pound category to $489.69 per cwt in the 400-500 pound category. Emily Schmidt, Livestock Intern at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, noted the 700-800 pound heifer category reached a record high of $383.05 per cwt.
Schmidt says the futures market is supporting the cash market, trading at or near record levels. Looking at feeder cattle futures, the March contract was up $4.50 to close Friday at $286.47 per cwt, while the April contract was up $3.77 to close Friday at $284.97 per cwt. For the live cattle futures, the April contract increased $3.77 to end the week at $206.95 per cwt, while the June contract increased $3.42 to settle Friday at $202.77 per cwt. The futures prices mentioned are in U.S. Dollars.
Schmidt also says improved weather conditions, and continued uncertainty with trade to the U.S., resulted in more cattle being sold at auction. Canfax reported 9,984 head of feeder cattle marketed this past week, an increase from the prior week’s 5,237 head. However, both figures are down from the 13,699 head marketed from the week ending March 7. Year-to-date, there have been 115,589 head of feeder cattle marketed, which is 27 per cent above 2024.