We're seeing more cattle moving through the auction ring as producers look at reducing their herd size to correspond with their feed supplies.

Canfax reporting Alberta calf prices last week were above the same week last year and 2019 by $6-7/cwt and were right in line with 2018. Calf prices in the first half of the year were mostly above last year and 2019, and through the first 32 weeks of this year have averaged $229.50/cwt, the third-highest on record.

Friday's Alberta Beef Producer's Canfax report included top-quality cattle sold across Alberta on Thursday.

Steers 900 + weight category ranged from $178 to $185 cwt, 800-900lb $190-$197, 700-800 lb $194 to $207, 600-700 lb $205 to $223, 500 to 600 lbs $216 to $235, 400 to 500lb $233 to $246, 300 to 400 lbs $250 to $257 cwt.

Heifers 900 plus weight category ran $165 to 170, 800-900lbs $170 to 176, 700-800 lbs $173-$180, 600-700 lb $179 to $184, 500-600 lb $185 to $197, 400 to 500lbs $206 to $217, 300 - 400 lb ranged from $211 - $222.

Saskatchewan's Ministry of Agriculture weekly cattle marketing report shows prices were mixed last week.

Canfax reported a total of 9,341 head of cattle were sold in Saskatchewan last week, higher than the 8,814 head sold during the previous week and significantly higher than the 6,329 head marketed during the same week in 2020.

Feeder steer prices ranged from $266.13 per hundredweight for the 300-400lb weight category to $178.30 per hundredweight for the 900+ weight category

Feeder heifer prices ranged from $216.80 per hundredweight for the 300-400lb weights to $172.46 for the 800+lb category.

Provincial Cattle Specialist Natasha Wilkie says marketings are ramping up.

"There's some calves starting to come to the auction mart, so that's going to put some pressure on prices. We've also seen lots of support this past week, which is great. We finally saw some relief for the feed grain prices they went and dropped a little bit. And then we also saw support from both live and feeder cattle futures markets they were up, as well as box beef prices were up. So those will provide support for our cash prices."