Cattle numbers at auction will likely recede heading into the holidays, says Scott Anderson of Winnipeg Livestock Sales. The fall run has remained strong this year thanks to an about-face in conditions.
“The grazing season was so much longer this year than it has been in the past, with all of the moisture we have had,” Anderson said.
“A lot of guys kept their cattle on the grass until things froze up. Last year, a lot of guys were out of the grass by August. They were a little more apt to take advantage of the grazing season this year and try to leave [cattle] out as long as possible.”
Read Also
Canola market sees up and down week
Canola futures endured a topsy-turvy week ended July 17, 2025, with most ICE contracts seeing net gains of about C$15 per tonne.
The result was an extended fall run.
[RELATED] Feed weekly outlook: Wheat, barley eschewed for other grains
For Winnipeg’s Nov. 25 sale, nearly 2,100 head were sold, and Anderson said the Dec. 2 auction would likely receive fewer than that.
Despite thousands of cattle going to Manitoba’s eight auctions every week, prices have stayed firm for a couple of reasons, according to Anderson.
“I think demand in general is holding things up. The fat cattle are fairly strong,” he said, adding that readily available feed grains have also helped things along.
“The only thing that seems to be a detriment right now is the shortage of trucks every week.”
There is a shortage of truck drivers as well as trucks themselves. The combination has made it more difficult to transport cattle. In turn, that raised at least one concern in the market.
“Most buyers don’t want those calves sitting around…for fear of them getting sick,” Anderson said.
However, plenty of cattle continue to arrive at auctions, which Anderson noted has allowed buyers to be more selective in purchases.
“Maybe that’s hurt the second cut cattle a little bit, the ones that aren’t just quite as fancy.”
There were small changes in sale prices at Winnipeg when comparing the Nov. 18 and 25 auctions. One of the most notable was the high end of feeder steers in the 500-to-600-pound range, which eased back from $305 per hundredweight on Nov. 18 to $293 on Nov. 25.
Another change saw the upper end of 300-to-400-pound feeder heifers climb from $270 per cwt. to $285.
The Winnipeg auction has scheduled two more sales this month: Dec. 9 and 16. Then it will shut down for the holidays before resuming in January.
