Jerry Klassen

Canada

Writer and Columnist at Freelance

None at Canadian Cattlemen

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Articles

Western Canadian feeder market continues upward trend

1 week ago | producer.com | Jerry Klassen

For the week ending April 12, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $5-8 higher on average. Quality genetic packages made fresh historical highs. It’s that time of year when calf numbers decline and many backgrounding operators liquidated inventory prior to April. Feedlot operators shrugged off the lower futures market early in the week.
Klassen: Feeder market returns to historical highs

1 week ago | agcanada.com | Jerry Klassen

For the week ending April 12, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded stead to as much as $10 higher compared to seven days earlier. The market has fully recovered from U.S. tariff uncertainty. Strength in the fed cattle market and healthy feeding margins continue drive replacement prices upward. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $470-$475/cwt. Using a 60 per cent grading, this equates to a live price of $282-$282/cwt.
Cattle markets try to adjust to tariffs

2 weeks ago | grainews.ca | Jerry Klassen

During the first week of March, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis at $273/cwt, down about $5/cwt from a month earlier. The fed market has remained relatively firm due to lower supplies of market-ready cattle. Strength in the fed market has been supportive for the overall feeder complex. Statistics Canada’s livestock inventory report as of Jan. 1 had feeder cattle supplies outside finishing feedlots in Western Canada slightly higher than 12 months earlier.
Klassen: Feeder market experiences volatility during U.S. tariff week

2 weeks ago | agcanada.com | Jerry Klassen

During the week ending April 5, the feeder market felt sluggish early in the week. Prices were a bit softer on Monday and by Wednesday morning, quoted values were $10 to as much $20 below week ago levels. After making weekly lows Wednesday, prices fully recovered to the previous week’s levels. Healthy feedlot margins continue to drive the replacement market higher. Canadian live cattle prices made fresh historical highs on Friday.
Klassen: Feeder cattle follow live cattle futures higher

1 month ago | agcanada.com | Jerry Klassen

For the week ending March 22, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $5 higher on average. Higher quality strings under 600 pounds traded $5 to as much as $10 higher in some cases but the lighter weight categories were quite variable across the Prairies. Calf numbers are limited at this time of year and there appears to be stronger demand for grassers. The June live cattle futures traded to fresh contract highs reaching $207 on March 21 which renewed the bullish enthusiasm.
Feeder market recovers from tariff discounts

1 month ago | manitobacooperator.ca | Jerry Klassen

Glacier FarmMedia — For the week ending March 14, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $10-$15 per hundredweight higher than seven days earlier. Feeder cattle prices recovered from the U.S. tariff-related weakness. Finishing feedlots were aggressive across all weight categories. Many operations moved a portion of their cattle to custom feedlots in the United States to avoid the tariffs.
U.S. cattle herd contraction coming to an end

1 month ago | grainews.ca | Jerry Klassen

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Feb. 7 released its Jan. 1 cattle inventory report — and it appears that the contraction phase of the cattle herd may be coming to an end. The 2024 calf crop was only marginally lower than the 2023 output. This was largely due to the decline in the beef cow slaughter. Beef cows that had calved as of Jan. 1, 2025, were only down 149,500 head from 12 months earlier. U.S. dairy cows calved as of Jan. 1 were up 2,500 head from year-ago levels.
Cattle market volatility increases as tariff uncertainty continues

1 month ago | grainews.ca | Jerry Klassen

For the week ending Feb. 8, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $460/cwt, up $10-$15 from the week ending Jan. 25. Using a 60 per cent grading, this equates to a live price of $276/cwt delivered. This is up from the early January prices of $432-$438/cwt. Wholesale beef prices continue to trade at or near historical highs. The healthy packer margins are encouraging the slaughter pace.
Using technical analysis for feeder cattle marketing

1 month ago | grainews.ca | Jerry Klassen

Every cattle analyst has been talking about tight supplies and strong demand. Fundamental analysis can often appear tedious to read. When I’m writing about cattle numbers and consumer spending, I often ask myself if the reader can actually make sense of the overall theme. While analysts try to simplify terms and economic theory for the average reader, many subscribers call and ask questions proving that I’m not communicating effectively.
Klassen: Feeders remain firm despite tariff uncertainty

1 month ago | agcanada.com | Jerry Klassen

For the week ending March 1, Western Canadian feeder markets traded steady to $6 higher compared to seven days earlier. Despite expected tariffs, there was no fear to secure ownership. Strong buying interest was noted from Alberta and Ontario operators with larger operations setting the price structure. Backgrounded, quality genetic strings of steers weighing 800-850 pound were the features at many sales.