Saskatchewan's Weekly Cattle Market Update

Mar 23, 2022

Highlights for the week include:

Feeder steer prices were mixed across the reported weight categories for the week compared to the week ending March 11th. Prices ranged from $243.63 per cwt for the 300-400lb weight category to $180.18 per cwt for the 900+lb weight category. The largest price increase was seen in the 500-600lb weight category with an increase of $6.12 per cwt to average $239.00 per cwt for the week. The largest price decrease was seen in the 300-400lb weight category with a price decrease of $9.87 per cwt to average the week at $243.63.
The average weekly prices for Saskatchewan’s feeder heifer prices saw a similar mix across all the reported weight categories compared to March 11th. Prices ranged from $201.35 per cwt for the 400-500lb weight category to $168.10 per cwt for the 800+lb weight category. The largest price increase reported was seen in the 800+lb weight category with an increase of $4.93 per cwt to average $168.10 per cwt for the week. The largest price decrease over the week was seen in the 500-600lb weight category with a price decrease of $2.40 per cwt to finish the week averaging $194.00 per cwt. The price for the 300-400lb weight category was not available for this week.
Nearby live cattle future contract prices also saw an increase throughout the week. The April live cattle futures contract increased US$3.200 per cwt relative to the week of March 11th to settle Friday at US$140.500 per cwt. The June contract had a price increase of US$4.125 per cwt compared to March 11th, to settle Friday at US$137.075 per cwt.
Choice beef cutout prices (600-900 lb.) for the week averaged US$257.34 per cwt, a price decline of US$3.64 per cwt or 1.43 per cent from US$253.70 per cwt the week of March 11th.
In addition - Lethbridge barley came in at $447 50 cents per tonne Canadian dollars. Our Iowa State corn we saw it come in at $6.93 per bushel US dollars which ended up being $344.21 per tonne Canadian dollars. And our Omaha corn came in at $7.17 per US dollar per bushel, which ended up coming out to $356.13 per tonne in Canadian dollars.
Canfax reported a total of 12,347 head of cattle were sold in Saskatchewan this week, up from 11,187 head during the week ending March 11th, but lower than the 15,684 head marketed during the same week in 2021

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.