Beef Market Update

The beef market weathered volatility this week, as political headlines clashed with strong demand fundamentals. Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange joins Lyndsey Smith for this edition of the Beef Market Update to break it all down — from the U.S. president’s comments on beef pricing to the implications of increased imports from Argentina and... Read More

Despite industry expectations of a seasonal pullback, cattle markets are once again surprising analysts and producers alike, climbing higher in early October. Volatility remains the dominant theme, as prices fluctuate weekly in both cash and futures markets, while beef imports rise sharply to offset tightening domestic supply. “Every time the market kind of does a... Read More

Seasonal price declines are typical for this time of year, but the September slowdown in wholesale and fed cattle markets is drawing sharper attention amid a backdrop of volatile futures and supply uncertainty. In this week’s episode of the Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange notes that fed cattle prices have continued... Read More

Fed cattle prices in Canada are holding steady even as U.S. markets begin to soften following the Labour Day weekend. While some may get a little nervous about prices stalling out, the pullback could reflect a healthy seasonal correction, says Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange. “We’ve just come off all-time record highs in both... Read More

It’s another record-setting week for the cattle market as RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney checks in with Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange for this Beef Market Update. As both U.S. and Canadian markets post new highs, attention turns to placements, packer margins, and the long-term outlook for herd rebuilding on both sides of... Read More

In this Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange joins RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney to break down the latest cash and wholesale market moves, trade flows, and forward cattle sales activity — all against a backdrop of tight supplies and strong demand. Mid-August cattle markets remain on a hot streak, with both U.S. and... Read More

In this Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange joins Lyndsey Smith to break down a bullish start to August for cattle markets and the latest from U.S. supply reports. Key Highlights from the Update: Moisture boosts optimism: Parts of southwest Saskatchewan received steady July rains, improving forage and crop conditions, though... Read More

Despite a whirlwind of global trade tensions and fluctuating markets, North America's beef sector remains resilient, with cash cattle prices demonstrating surprising strength well into July. In this episode of the Beef Market Update, Shaun Haney is joined as always by market analyst Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange to discuss the latest cattle market... Read More

The calendar is sliding into the dog days of summer — and grills across the continent are working overtime. That's good news for cattle markets, and to break down the cash prices, cattle movement, and inventory, we've got host of the Beef Market Update Shaun Haney with Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. In... Read More

In this week’s Beef Market Update, Shaun Haney is joined by Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange to discuss the week’s explosive cattle markets and what’s on the horizon for Canadian producers. Southern U.S. markets were on fire, with Texas and Kansas live cattle prices jumping $5–$8 higher. Dressed trade in Nebraska saw gains of... Read More

Cattle prices continue to push higher, but the real story may be what’s coming this fall, and how early signs are shaping expectations. In this episode of the Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange joins RealAgriculture's Lyndsey Smith to discuss the latest market movements heading into the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, describing... Read More

It is getting hot out there, and the thermometer isn't the only thing that has been going up — cattle markets continue to sizzle. In this episode of the Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange tells RealAgriculture's Shaun Haney that once again the markets are reaching new high price territory. Prices in... Read More

It's pretty difficult to talk cattle markets without also talking about beef, and this episode of RealAgriculture's Beef Market Update is no exception. With continued market highs, the conversation between Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange and RealAgriculture's Shaun Haney quickly turns to comparisons between current cattle prices and those seen during the early stages... Read More

Cattle markets in the U.S. mirrored the volatility seen across equity, bond, and currency markets this week. U.S. markets seesawed this week — falling early, rebounding mid-week, then sliding again by Friday, as Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange tells RealAgriculture's Shaun Haney in this episode of Beef Market Update. Canadian markets, however, have held... Read More

"Incredible" and "on-fire" are just a couple of descriptors that Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange uses to describe the markets in this episode of Beef Market Update. When it comes to the U.S., new records continue to be set and Wasko says that a 'pile of cattle' were traded last week. This week started... Read More

Erratic is the word of the day and the markets are responding hour-by-hour, day-to-day, and week-to-week with the news, says Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange in this episode of the Beef Market Update. In the southern U.S., cash markets bounced back last week and have managed to hold those gains. This follows a cycle... Read More

This week held no big surprises in the beef markets. While markets were lower last week, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange surmised that would continue into this week and confirmed that it has. The dressed market in the U.S. is down and the wholesale market is under pressure as well; however, showing signs of... Read More

Markets in the United States faltered this week. While prices hit a high two weeks ago, this week they settled $7–$8 lower than last week. Unsurprisingly for the time of year, packers have cut kills this week, but that wasn’t enough to support the choice cutout, which dropped $6.50. While the U.S. experienced reduced prices,... Read More

Coming off some near-month contract highs of $200-/+ it's no surprise to see futures falling as the week closes out, but cash cattle in the south ticked higher as they caught up to northern prices this past week (Check out the related story on cattle futures here). The cutout did show signs of weakening in... Read More

Strong and high prices across the board was the story in the cattle markets this week. In the southern U.S., trade remains steady at $2.01. Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange highlights that this is the first time she has reported prices at this level on the Beef Market Update. Nebraska markets are steady to... Read More

There are some years that start off slowly when it comes to the cattle markets, however 2025 is off to a great start with prices up across the board in the U.S. The Choice cut-out has been driving some of that, Anne Wasko with the Gateway Livestock Exchange explains in this first episode of Beef... Read More

2024 will go down as a year of market demand that was stronger than could have ever been anticipated. This exceptional demand helped to drive the smaller supply of beef to reach record prices. In this last episode of the Beef Market Update for 2024, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange reflects on the past... Read More

The Christmas holidays are almost upon us and while Christmas markets may be busy with shoppers looking for the perfect gift in the coming weeks, the cattle markets have started to slow down in the U.S., as a lot of the buying has been done for the season. Now that we have hit December it's... Read More

Markets in the U.S. experienced a bounce this week from the downward trend that they were on due to packers running smaller fed-cattle kills in the last few weeks. That support under the cutout has been supporting the cash markets. The select spread has widened again which continues to confirm that demand for those high... Read More

Trade was slow to get moving this week in the U.S. In this Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange tells RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney that this could be due to packers possibly dragging their feet on the choice cut out, which has lost some of its momentum. There is still a strong… Read More

Holiday season — the U.S. Thanksgiving and Christmas time of year — is around the corner, and that’s showing in the beef market. The upcoming holidays are impacting the choice cutout and while the chuck primal is starting to come off, the strength of the market is in the loin and rib cutouts, says Anne… Read More

Steady to higher seems to be the common theme in the majority of cattle markets throughout North America. In the southern U.S., it looks like the trades are going to come in steady to one higher and the north is pretty steady with last week, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange in this… Read More

In the Beef Market Update this week, Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange and RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney start the conversation with the good news that the U.S. fat cattle market in the south and the live market in the north appear to be gaining some ground, coming off of the early September lows. That being… Read More

Seasonality is a big part of the conversation in this week’s Beef Market Update with Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange. In the last few years, the markets have been trending towards higher prices; however, as we start to steady out we are likely to start seeing a little more seasonality return to the cattle… Read More

Markets this week are ending the summer in a downward trend with both the U.S. and Canada having a down week in the cash, cattle, and wholesale markets. In the States, live, dressed and choice cutout all came in steady or lower. Labour Day buying is done and going into September it is back to… Read More

Live cattle trade in the south was quieter this week, and prices drifted lower says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, in this edition of the Beef Market Update. While trade has been quieter, there’s still plenty to discuss about what’s happening in the beef and cattle markets both in the U.S. and Canada…. Read More

The summer doldrums seem to be hitting the U.S. cattle markets this week, with trades coming in at around $2 less than last week, whereas the choice cutout held steady. While it may feel as though cutout is struggling a bit, Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock Exchange, reminds us in this week’s Beef Market Update… Read More

Depending on which side of the border you’re on, cut-out prices and placements drifted lower in the last two weeks, but stuck with seasonal trends, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. U.S. on-feed numbers are expected to climb by about 3 per cent year over year based on June data, while cash markets… Read More

It was a busy holiday week for BBQs both in Canada and the United States. The holidays, combined with a plant closure in Kansas, all amount to less beef being processed this week. While there wasn’t a report from USDA on Thursday, markets closed Wednesday night with choice cutout at six and a half dollars… Read More

A mid-week U.S. holiday this week didn’t affect beef kill but closed futures and packers wanting to dial markets back from last week’s new cash high combined for slower trade for beef markets. In this week's Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko with the Gateway Livestock Exchange, says cattle feeders want to keep the  momentum rolling... Read More

A mid-week U.S. holiday this week didn’t affect beef kill but closed futures and packers wanting to dial markets back from last week’s new cash high combined for slower trade for beef markets. In this week's Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko with the Gateway Livestock Exchange, says cattle feeders want to keep the  momentum rolling… Read More

Cash trade in the south and in Canada was pretty quiet this week, nudging off the start of June versus any real kickoff to the new month. In the U.S., slaughter was down this week too, bumping the cutout price a little in the post-Memorial Day shortened week, says Anne Wasko, with the Gateway Livestock... Read More

Cash trade in the south and in Canada was pretty quiet this week, nudging off the start of June versus any real kickoff to the new month. In the U.S., slaughter was down this week too, bumping the cutout price a little in the post-Memorial Day shortened week, says Anne Wasko with the Gateway Livestock… Read More

Rain makes grain, sure, but rain also makes green grass which makes for a very happy Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, who joins Shaun Haney for this episode of the Beef Market Update. Green grass in many parts of the Prairies is a welcome change compared to the last few years, and it’s... Read More

Rain makes grain, sure, but rain also makes green grass which makes for a very happy Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, who joins Shaun Haney for this episode of the Beef Market Update. Green grass in many parts of the Prairies is a welcome change compared to the last few years, and it’s… Read More

Cattle markets have been quiet throughout the American Midwest, with the choice market up from last week, but under where it was at the same time last year. The choice to select market is still under the five year average, according to Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. This is a good indication that... Read More

Cattle markets have been quiet throughout the American Midwest, with the choice market up from last week, but under where it was at the same time last year. The choice to select market is still under the five year average, according to Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. This is a good indication that… Read More