A quiet week for cattle prices in Saskatchewan as a few weight categories for feeder steers and heifers were reported for the week ending May 10th.
For the steers, only two weight categories recorded a price — the 600-700 lb and the 700-800 lb steers. The 600-700 lb category had an average price of $386.33 per cwt, a decrease of $5.80 week-over-week, while the 700-800 lb category had an average price of $371.00 per cwt, an increase of $1.66 from the prior week.
The lone heifer weight category Canfax was able to record was the 800+ lb heifer of an average price of $293.67 per cwt.
The number of cattle going to market last week was down to 4,509, well below the 10,365 head marketed the previous week of May 3rd.
Fonda Froats, Provincial Cattle Specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says market volumes are trending seasonally downward heading into the summer and demand is tailing off. When asked if the avian flu issue in the U.S. is having an affect on the market, Froats said it did when news first broke but it has quieted down since. “Hopefully I’m not jinxing anything.” Froats added.
She notes prices for Alberta cows were mixed for the week ending May 10th. D2 cows averaged $181.25 per cwt, an average price increase of $0.70 per cwt above the previous week, while the price of D3 cows decreased $2.64 per cwt to average $164.00 per cwt. The Canfax price for Alberta fed steers was $257.98 per cwt, a price increase of $0.29 per cwt above the previous week.