Prices for Manitoba slaughter and feeder cattle remain remarkably high, with a good number of the former being sold, according to Tyler Slawinski, auctioneer for Gladstone and Ashern.
“Anything of any quality is still bringing top prices, especially for this time of year,” he said.
More than 500 slaughter cattle were sold at Gladstone and Ashern during the week of June 7 to 13.
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“I never seen (so many) cows and bulls marketed at this time of year like this before,” Slawinski stated, pointing to a strong trim market that’s supportive of bulls.
Between the two auctions, D1 and D2 cattle fetched $180 to $195 per hundredweight, with D3-D5’s at $140 to $160. Mature bulls brought in $206 to $246/cwt. and heiferettes sold for $182-$249.
On the feeder side, Slawinski said there was a pen clean out at Ashern as it hosted it final sale before the summer break. Gladstone has scheduled two more auctions before it closes for the summer and will likely reopen toward the end of August.
“But it depends on the weather. If things are dry, sometimes it’s sooner. But if there’s lots of grass and obviously harvest will be later this year, that might push things back,” he said.
He noted a lot of volatility in the cattle market, and a potential strike at Cargill’s case-ready plant in Calgary is one of the reasons.
During the first week of June, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers at the Calgary plant overwhelmingly voted to strike. Reports said the workers seek higher pay and guaranteed hours. Workers at Cargill’s Dunlop Drive beef facility in Guelph, Ont., remained on the picket line after two weeks. The plant processes approximately 80 per cent of Ontario’s cattle.
Slawinski said Cargill was still buying cattle, but was not as aggressive. He expects strong auction prices to carry through summer, but warned they may run into resistance.
“The market is very high. I’m not sure how much higher prices can get. There’s a lot more downside than upside. Prices are going to hang in there until something comes along. It doesn’t take much these days. It could be political. It could be disease pressure.”
At Manitoba’s other auctions, Killarney ran its final sale of the spring on June 10 and Ste. Rose scheduled its last auction for June 20. Heartland’s Virden auction was the only one of the province’s eight to be closed this week.
