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As winter conditions descended on Alberta, prices for feed grains bumped up a little, but were otherwise "percolating sideways," stated Jim Beusekom of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge.

For the week ending February 15, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to five dollars higher on average compared to seven days earlier. The market has recovered after the recent stretch of adverse weather and the U.S. tariff threat in early February.

Ongoing tariff uncertainty continues to curtail demand in the feed sector across the Canadian Prairies, said broker Evan Peterson of JGL Commodities in Saskatoon.

While feed barley prices are generally flat across the Prairies, those for feed wheat are climbing, said Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton.

As tariff issues continue to hover around the globe, there has been a sharp reduction in the number of cattle in Canadian feedlots, said Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge. And that has reduced the demand for feed grains in Western Canada to a trickle.

Prices for Canadian feed barley and United States corn imports reached parity as the feed grain market took a breather between Christmas and New Year’s Day. 

The market hasn’t missed a beat and started the year where it left in December. The only difference is there are larger supplies of yearlings coming on stream. The benchmark levels had backgrounded steers averaging 1,000 pounds trading from $280-$285/cwt with top bids rounding at $290/cwt. Steers averaging 850-pounds were averaging $300/cwt with top-notch larger groups peaking at $305.

There won't be a whole lot of movement of feed grains on the Canadian Prairies any time soon, stated Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge. He said not only are the end-users overbooked, but the relentless uncertainty over tariffs continues to dominate the cattle industry across Western Canada.

For the week ending June 7, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to as much as $15/cwt higher in some cases. Larger packages of quality replacements over 900 pounds were up $10-$15/cwt from prices seven days earlier.

For the week ending July 2, Western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $5 higher compared to seven days earlier for larger packages. Small groups of 800-pound-plus cattle were $10 to $15 discounted to pen-sized lots. Calf markets were relatively unchanged from the prior week, although volume was limited. There is significant open demand for yearlings and finishing feedlot operators are watching how prices develop.