After a dreary few weeks, we’re starting this episode of the Beef Market Update on a positive note. Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, says on her ranch in southwest Saskatchewan, they got some rain, and hey, the markets are on the way up. The markets started out this week slow, but quickly picked… Read More
Category: Meat Markets
Discussions are underway on whether or not a new beef packing facility would be viable in Saskatchewan. The industry has sustained healthy margins over the past two-and-a-half years and with Saskatchewan being the literal breeding ground for upwards of one million cows, it’s no wonder the province is up for consideration. Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association… Read More
From drought conditions, poor market prices, high input costs, and on-going costs for health maintenance, many western Canadian cattle producers are starting to question how much longer they can stay afloat. Some producers who are in drought-ridden areas are looking at selling off a portion of their herd out of necessity as their pastureland can no… Read More
Drought conditions are adding insult to injury for some cattle producers who considering tough decisions if pasture conditions don’t improve soon. Producers Jocelyn and Travis Wasko, who own XTC Ranches and Bar 4 Bar Ranches near Eastend Sask., are going into their third year of drought conditions and say they continue to employ a “take… Read More
Stagflation, inflation, rising food costs…these are all factors that are creating murky waters in front of beef demand, if you look at the rest of the 2022 calendar year. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange says in our latest Beef Market Update, that even if you look at live cattle futures, and live cattle… Read More
The U.S. cattle market was steady again this week, continuing to chop, chop, chop sideways, with cut out prices climbing slightly, though still at sluggish pace. Here in Canada, the average weekly price is in the low 170s, and, according to Canfax, that’s the first time since 2017 the weekly average has held in this… Read More
With May long weekends quickly approaching, many are starting to have barbecuing on the brain, which of course – is good news for the beef market. We definitely have enough supply for people to “chew” through…but the price on the shelves is certainly still high enough. So where is demand? Anne Wasko, of the Gateway… Read More
It’s no surprise that many cattle feeders are still facing negative margins. The combination of negative margins and a basis wider than we would like to see have created a question for many, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. From the producers’ perspective, what do we need to do to make this basis… Read More
The cattle value chain has undergone significant pressure both to the upside and down since 2019. A major fire at a plant in the U.S. caused a backlog of processing. Soon after, COVID-19 hit. During 2020 and 2021, demand both at home and abroad skyrocketed. In short, for an industry that has to plan for… Read More
Over the past few years the phrase “unprecedented times” has been used often and for good reason. There has been a continual domino effect of global events that has put a unique strain on many things, especially global trade. The result is that change isn’t coming — it’s here. As a country, Canada needs to… Read More
When we look at the cost of gain, it’s historically high. As Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchanger explains in our latest Beef Market Update, we have reached record highs for cost of gain — with the second highest year on record being last year. “We’re in this environment, the last two years, where… Read More
As the calendar makes its way through March, Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, says we are running short on time for a surprise spring rally. On the demand side, things are looking really good. However, it’s posing a bit of a problem, as it’s not translating to the cash cattle side, do to… Read More
As the situation continues to unravel in Ukraine, many in the agricultural industry are following the markets, and trying to get a handle on the impacts. This week’s Beef Market Update is no different. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange says we have often talked about uncertainty and volatility in the last few years… Read More
This episode of the Beef Market Update comes to you from Houston, Texas, as Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange reviews the events of the past week, down at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) convention. To start off, Wasko says it was a good week for the U.S. cattlemen to be together, as… Read More
Whether to support or oppose a widely-discussed piece of legislation that aims to increase price transparency in the U.S. cattle market is one of the big topics up for debate at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s annual Cattle Convention taking place at Houston, TX this week. There was a strong turnout for NCBA’s live cattle… Read More