Rain received in Manitoba during the week ended Aug. 15 may result in a later start to the fall run of cattle coming to auction, according to Scott Anderson of Winnipeg Livestock Sales.
The province received a half inch of rain or more, which Anderson said would likely extend the grazing season. He estimated the fall run won’t get fully underway for another month.
“Most producers are trying to get on every pound they can,” he said, adding that many are busy making hay.
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Winnipeg had 130 head come in for the Aug. 9 sale, most of them slaughter cattle. Anderson said butcher cows pulled back about $5 to $7 per hundredweight from the all-time highs reached on July 26. Otherwise the slaughters were fully steady despite average quality.
“Itwasn’t like there were any outstanding strings or anything like that,” he said.
D1-D2 cows sold for $177 to $181/cwt, with the D3-D5’s going for $165-$177. Heiferettes brought in $150-$166/cwt. and mature bulls garnered $220 to $227.
As for feeder cattle, Anderson said a lot of them were marginal at the Aug. 9 sale. Light steers in the 400 to 500 lb. range fetched $435 to $470/cwt. while the same weight class of heifers went for $350 to $420. On the heavier side, the 800 to 900-lb. steers sold for $290 to $329/cwt. and the heifer counterparts at $240 to $284.
Anderson said a big help for prices during the week was recovery of cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. About 10 days ago, futures fell hard.
“They’ve kind of made a comeback. Everyone suspected it was going to be a bit of a rough ride.”
In looking toward the fall run, Anderson said there’s nothing to suggest auction prices will drop, and the price of U.S. corn is helping the western Canadian cattle industry.
“It’s been a long time that we have seen corn under $4 a bushel in the U.S. That should help to put the fundamentals in line to keep the market strong.”
As the fall run approaches, some auctions have listed the dates when they will resume sales. Ste. Rose is set to go on Sept. 5, followed by Killarney on Sept. 9 and Gladstone on Sept. 10.
