Summer is the slow season for Manitoba’s cattle industry and only one auction facility was open during the week of July 14-20.
The Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart Ltd. hosted its sale July 18 with 63 head, including only nine feeder cattle.
“There’s almost no feeder cattle moving at this time of year. Most markets are closed because of the low volumes through the summer,” said Brad Kehler, auctioneer and auction sales representative for the facility.
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The auction did not post prices for the feeders due to the low number. Among the other 54 cattle for slaughter, D1-D2 cows brought in $125-$148 per hundredweight, a slight change from $125-$145.25 at the July 11 sale.
The D3-D5 cows went for $100-$134/cwt., virtually the same as the week before. Mature bulls garnered $128-$149/cwt., slipping from the previous week’s $152-$165.25.
The declines were no surprise given that cattle prices at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dipped last week. The October contract lost 0.7 U.S. cents per pound, resting at US$1.8205.
Kehler said buyers for the July 18 auction were a mix of those from Manitoba and from elsewhere.
Most of the Prairies continue to contend with dry conditions, but Kehler said that’s not necessarily the case for cattle country in eastern Manitoba.
“Our pasture conditions are pretty favourable around us,” he said, though it is unlikely the Grunthal auction will see any strong increase in sale cattle numbers due to dry conditions.
The weekly Manitoba crop report published July 17 said pasture conditions were generally fair, but precipitation is needed, especially on lighter soils. The report also pointed to recent cooler than normal temperatures, which eased some of the stress on pastures, although grasshoppers continued to take a toll.
Most of the first cut of hay has been completed in Manitoba, with yields at 60-80 per cent of normal. Regrowth was reported to be slow and thin.
Producers in eastern Manitoba were busy with their second cut but, again, yields have been below normal.
Manitoba Agriculture also reported that dugouts in the eastern part of the province were 30 per cent full, while the southwest was twice that. Levels were adequate elsewhere.
The week of July 21-27 will see half of Manitoba’s cattle auctions in operation, with Grunthal, Winnipeg and Heartland Livestock Services’ Brandon and Virden facilities open.
