Currency and Interest Rates
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CAN/US Exchange Rate: 72.09¢ CAD — slightly down from last week (72.17¢) and lower than this time last year (73.05¢).
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Bank Rate: 3.00% — unchanged from last week, but much lower than April 2024 (5.25%).
Cattle Prices
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Alberta Railgrade Sales:
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Steers:
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Low: $472.00/cwt
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High: $473.50/cwt
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Heifers:
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Low: $472.00/cwt
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High: $473.50/cwt
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Prices are steady compared to last week and $43–$50 higher compared to April 2024.
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US Boxed Beef Cutout Values:
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Choice 600–900 lb: $333.48/cwt (almost flat from last week, but up from $296.63 a year ago).
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Select 600–900 lb: $317.48/cwt (up slightly from last week, and higher than $290.68 a year ago).
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Slaughter Numbers
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Canadian Cattle Slaughter (week ending April 19, preliminary):
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Total: 44,927 head — a decline compared to both last week (55,390) and the same week last year (59,903).
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Regional Split:
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East: 9,852 head
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West: 35,075 head
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US Cattle Slaughter:
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Estimated at 548,000 head, down from 566,000 the previous week and 601,000 this time last year.
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Live Animal Trade
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Imports into Canada: No cattle imported from the U.S. this week.
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Exports to the U.S.:
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Feeder Cattle: 7,696 head exported (lower than 30,621 a year ago).
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Cattle Grading
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AAA Grading:
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78.5% of graded cattle — down from 82.6% last week and the same time last year.
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AA Grading:
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20.1%, a slight increase from previous weeks.
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Yield/A1 Grade:
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West: 26.5% A1 yield
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Canada overall: 22.7% A1 yield
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Slight improvement compared to previous weeks.
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Feeder Cattle Prices
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Feeder Steers (800–900 lb):
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Clyde: $360.00–$415.00/cwt
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Ponoka: $370.00–$414.00/cwt
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Strathmore: $346.00–$425.00/cwt
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Ontario: Data not available for this week.
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Feeder Steers (700–800 lb):
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Strong demand across Alberta:
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Clyde: $410.00–$470.00/cwt
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Ponoka: $410.00–$455.00/cwt
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Strathmore: $374.00–$482.00/cwt
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Feeder Steers (600–700 lb):
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Clyde: $450.00–$530.00/cwt
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Ponoka: $450.00–$503.00/cwt
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Strathmore: $405.00–$528.00/cwt
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Feeder Heifers (700–800 lb):
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Prices remain solid, similar to steers but slightly lower.
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Feeder Heifers (500–600 lb):
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Premium prices observed for lighter weights, often $510.00–$575.00/cwt.
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Cattle Futures
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Live Cattle Futures:
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April 2025 closed at $214.25/cwt, up $4.43 from last week.
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June 2025: $208.25/cwt, up $4.18.
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Feeder Cattle Futures:
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May 2025 closed at $290.52/cwt, up $3.67.
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August 2025 closed at $294.30/cwt, up $3.43.
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By-Product Value
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US By-product Value:
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Held steady at $11.79/cwt, same as last week.
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Carcass Weights
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Average Carcass Weights:
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West Canadian Steers: 887 lbs (down from 912 lbs last week).
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Canada-wide Steers: 915 lbs.
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US Steers: 875 lbs (slightly up compared to last week).
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Quick Takeaways:
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Cattle prices are steady to higher compared to last week and stronger year-over-year.
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Fewer cattle are being slaughtered, both in Canada and the U.S., indicating tighter supply.
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Feeder cattle prices are very strong, particularly for lighter weights.
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Grading shows a slight decline in AAA percentage but overall remains high.
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Cattle futures markets are optimistic heading into summer 2025.
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By-product values remain stable, providing additional revenue stability.
