Manitoba buyers show steady demand for lighter cattle

Manitoba buyers show steady demand for lighter cattle

China’s coronavirus epidemic hasn’t yet landed on local cattle prices


Mid-weight feeder cattle prices were steady from last week, according to Robin Hill, Heartland Livestock Auctions’ manager at Virden. At last week’s sale, prices for 700- to 800-lb. feeder cattle were between $180 and $197 per hundredweight. Prices for 600- to 700-lb. feeders were between $196 and $221/cwt as well. Prices during this week’s sale

Cattle auctions’ prices steady, volumes strong

Cattle auctions’ prices steady, volumes strong

Manitoba’s cattle are about equally eastbound and westbound

Despite cold weather and icy highways, cattle markets across Manitoba were in full swing during the week ended Jan. 17. Tyler Slawinski, Gladstone Auction Mart’s auctioneer, said about 600 head showed up to the first auction of the year. “That’s about twice as many as I had expected,” he said. “That’s a good sign for


Manitoba cattle auction volumes remain high

Manitoba cattle auction volumes remain high

Frozen ground makes cattle easier to retrieve

Cattle auctions in Manitoba have seen a lot of activity recently, thanks in part to colder weather making it easier to retrieve cattle from mucky pastures. That’s pressuring prices lower for some weight classes. “We’re seeing big numbers, which is applying quite a bit of pressure to the market,” said auctioneer Tyler Slawinski of Gladstone

Colder temperatures assisting producers with moving cattle

Colder temperatures assisting producers with moving cattle

Cattle producers had been waiting due to wet conditions

There’s a plus side to the below-average temperatures southern Manitoba has been experiencing of late — it has made it easier to move cattle, said Harold Unrau of Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart. Wet conditions, especially in the southeast region of the province, have been the bane of cattle producers over the last several weeks. The


Fall cattle run picks up steam

Fall cattle run picks up steam

After a slow and muddy start, auction barns have filled up

Cattle auction yards were busy across Manitoba during the last week of October, with the fall run in full swing. “We’re busy, I think every barn is full (across the province),” said Robin Hill, of Heartland Livestock Services in Virden. “The volumes in Western Canada really cranked up over the past week, and now everybody



Harsh fall weather weighs on Manitoba cattle values

Harsh fall weather weighs on Manitoba cattle values

Snow and mud have hit Manitoba hard, limiting the ability to take cattle to market

Snow, mud, and challenging fall weather across the Prairies put a damper on cattle activity in Manitoba during the week ended Oct. 11. “Guys aren’t really after cows right now,” remarked Harold Unrau of Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart. He noted feeder cattle prices were under pressure compared to the week prior. “From here right to

Fall cattle run’s launch delayed as rains improve pastures

Fall cattle run’s launch delayed as rains improve pastures

Producers with cull cows may want to sell soon

Numbers moving through Manitoba’s cattle auction yards are starting to pick up ahead of the fall run, with prices holding firm during the last week of September. “We finally saw decent volumes of calves to establish prices,” said Rick Wright of Heartland Order Buying. “Up until now we’ve had really light deliveries and the market


Manitoba's livestock auctions.

Tough times still coming for Manitoba cattle producers

Recent rains have greened up pastures, but that’s only 
going to blunt the worst of it

Recent rains may have averted the worst-case scenario for Manitoba’s hay shortage, according to Tyler Slawinski, auctioneer at Gladstone Auction Mart. Recently, 12 municipalities in Manitoba’s Interlake and Parkland regions declared a state of agricultural emergency due to dry conditions that created a lack of sufficient hay and the below-average quality of what was produced.

Cattle volumes in Manitoba are expected to drop off over the next few weeks, as cattle are turned out to grass and mixed farmers begin spring seeding.

Cattle volumes at auctions to drop soon, but not yet

Sales remained busy in the post-holiday time frame

Good volumes moved through Manitoba cattle auctions open during the week ended April 26, with solid prices in both the feeder and butcher markets. The short week due to Good Friday the previous week, and the fact that some auctions were closed for Easter Monday, meant the sales which were running were busy. “The numbers