As cattle auctions across Manitoba get back into full swing, the number of head old rose sharply on the week. Prices for feeder steers and heifers were also steady to higher for the week ended Jan. 26.
“We had about 920 head on offer this week, so for our second sale [of 2023] I thought that was OK. I think it’s going to be bigger coming up,” said Kirk Kiesman of Ashern Auction Mart.
At the province’s eight cattle auctions, the number of feeder and slaughter cattle sold last week jumped almost 84 per cent to 11,207. The Heartland Livestock Services Virden facility topped all sales, with 3,198 head sold.
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Kiesman said good quality cattle are coming to Ashern and “they are selling really well… Prices are quite a bit better than what they were in December. Compared to the previous week, they were similar.”
There was a notable increase in prices for 800- to 900-lb. feeder steers at Ashern during its Jan. 25 sale, at $222-$244.75 per hundredweight. Seven days earlier, the same category fetched $182.50-$217.
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Meanwhile, 600- to 700-lb. feeder steers sold for $250-$281/cwt. last week compared to $243-$287 on Jan. 18. Other weight categories saw slight declines.
It’s the same for feeder heifers, as 500- to 600-pounders brought in $230-$260/cwt. on Jan. 25 versus $200-$232 the week before. Otherwise there were small movements to either side in heifers.
There were smaller numbers of animals in some weight categories at Ashern two weeks ago but the past week’s influx created a better price range. For example, there were no 300- to 400-lb. feeders that week, but feeder steers and heifers last week registered at $300-$351 and $250-$271/cwt. respectively.
As for the slaughter market at Ashern, there wasn’t much change in prices, although the number of cattle sold dropped from 200 to 85. D1 and D2 cows were priced at $80-$94.50 on Jan. 18 and rose to $82-$100 on Jan. 25.
“I didn’t expect to have super-high prices the first week, but they still sold really strong,” Kiesman said in comparing January’s two auctions.
Problems with insufficient trucking capacity continue to plague the Manitoba cattle industry, as they have in other sectors. A shortage of drivers compounded by a lack of trucks has impeded movement of goods including cattle.
“I think there’s going to be trucking issues for a long time, wherever you’re at. It’s something that has to be dealt with and managed,” Kiesman said.
Most producers haul their own cattle to auction but problems begin when those cattle need to move on.
