As August and the new crop year approach, it was another quiet week at cattle auction sites across Manitoba.
Despite the rise in activity for the week ended July 28, only four of the province’s eight auction sites hosted sales: Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart, Heartland Livestock Services in both Brandon and Virden and Winnipeg Livestock Sales.
In total, 878 cattle, mostly slaughter, went through the rings. Last week, only 76 cattle were sold at the sole auction in Grunthal.
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Cam Christie, sales representative for Winnipeg Livestock Sales, said that prices for slaughter cattle saw little change compared to the previous regular sale. Out of 260 cattle at its July 22 sale, 250 were butchers.
“The bulls were about steady. The slaughter bulls were steady and the cows were probably just a tiny bit softer than they were in the previous week,” he said.
“I think (the cows) topped out right around ($111 per hundredweight) but the majority were probably ($105 to $108 per cwt.), somewhere in there.”
Christie added that prices for slaughter cattle July 22 were softer than at the July 8 sale, when cows sold in a range of $100 to $118 per cwt. and mature bulls sold from $138 to $145 per cwt.
Prices in Eastern Canada “were a little bit lower and the (United States) is getting a lot of cattle with their drought. Slaughter prices have come back just a tiny bit.”
Christie added that half the cows were slated for local slaughter, with the remainder bound west.
On the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the highest-traded October live cattle contract closed at US$141.825 per cwt. on July 28, three days after coming off a two-month high of $143.775 per cwt.
Meanwhile, the October feeder cattle contract closed at $182.725 per cwt., six days after hitting a five-month high of $187.40.
Above-normal temperatures have descended on parts of the U.S. Plains but conditions appear to be better in most areas of Manitoba, which will help the hay crop and pastures.
“We’re expecting a good hay crop, as long as they can get it off,” Christie said. “The pastures are good, except for some in the Interlake where they’re underwater.”
Auction sites in Ashern, Gladstone, Killarney and Ste. Rose du Lac are all closed for the summer and are expected to reopen in August or September.
