Feeder cattle prices climb higher as demand remains strong

Another set of benchmarks were set for Saskatchewan feeder cattle prices.

Livestock Intern at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Emily Schmidt says all of the reported feeder steer and heifer prices for the week ending May 2 are new record highs.

Steer prices ranged from $396.14 per cwt in the 800-900 lb weight category to $659.50 per cwt in the 300-400 lb category. The largest weekly price increase was in the 400-500 lb steer category of $25.34 to $628.01 per cwt.

Heifer prices ranged from $474.83 per cwt in the 600-700 lb category to $562.98 per cwt in the 400-500 lb category. The biggest week-over-week price increase was in the 600-700 lb category of $35.00.

Canfax reported 10,904 head of feeder cattle were sold at auction in Saskatchewan last week, more than double last week’s amount of 5,603 head. The volume of cattle marketed last week is slightly above the amount sold the same week last year of 10,365 head. The year-to-date total is now 165,013 head sold, above 2024 levels by seven per cent.

Saskatchewan Feeder steer and heifer prices for the week ending May 2, 2025. | Source: Canfax, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

Schmidt says strong demand remains for steers and heifers and the futures market is still trading at record high prices, which in turn is supporting the highs of the feeder market.

Looking at the futures, as of Friday, the May feeder cattle futures increased $4.42 to $294.95 per cwt; the August feeder cattle futures was up $2.60 to $296.90 per cwt; the June live cattle futures was up $2.85 to $211.10 per cwt; and the August live cattle futures increased $2.67 to $206.77 per cwt.

Regarding prices of Alberta fed steers and live, non-fed cattle, Schmidt says they are mixed compared to the previous week.

The price of Alberta fed steers for the week ending May 2 was $292.50 per cwt, up $3.67 from the previous week. Prices for D2 slaughter cows were $224.07 per cwt, down 43 cents from the prior week, while the price for D3 cows was $202.18 per cwt, up 88 cents from the week ending April 25.