Most of the feeder steer prices reported in Saskatchewan this past week were up week-over-week and so were the feeder heifer prices.
The latest Cattle Market Update from Canfax, for the week ending January 31, shows only the 600-700 and 800-900 pound steer weight categories as the only ones to have a week-over-week price decrease and none were recorded on the heifer side. The 300-400 pound steers didn’t have any data recorded for the week.
Prices ranged from $360.25 per cwt in the 900-plus pound category for steers to $589.50 per cwt in the 400-500 pound steers. Prices for the steers ranged from $350.83 per cwt in the 800-plus pound category to $558.25 per cwt in the 300-400 pound category. Livestock Intern at the Livestock Branch of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Emily Schmidt noted the 400-500 pound feeder heifers were $507.75, the first time the weight category has reached the $500 per cwt mark. She adds record prices in all reported categories were either set or matched this past week.
Regarding factors affecting the feeder markets recently, Schmidt says tightening cattle supplies continue to support prices as well as uncertainty around the market likely encouraging producers to move cattle to auctions. There were 14,217 head sold at auction in the week ending January 31, a small decrease from the 14,924 head sold during the week ending January 24th. The recent volume of cattle marketed is more than the 12,676 head of cattle sold the same week last year. Canfax notes the number of feeder cattle marketing’s at auction in the province are “78 per cent above 2024 with 47,957 feeder cattle marketed year-to-date in 2025.”
Week-over-week trends for Alberta cattle were positive. Prices of D2 and D3 slaughter cows were up last week compared to the week prior. D2 cows averaged $190.13 per cwt, up by $5.73 per cwt, and D3 cows averaged $176.25 per cwt, up by $6.00.
The Canfax price for Alberta fed steers for the week ending January 31 was $275.75, up $7.82 the previous week. Canfax says “this was above the same week last year ending February 2, 2024, when it averaged $217.50 per cwt. The price for the week ending January 31, 2025, is the highest recorded price for Alberta fed steers.”