Week Ending March 12, 2026
If you've been to the grocery store lately and felt like beef prices were quietly creeping up — you're not imagining it. Here's what actually happened at Ontario cattle markets this week, broken down in plain English with real numbers.
🐄 Fed Cattle — The Animals That Become Your Steaks
Large and medium frame fed steers averaged $313.87/cwt this week, down slightly from $314.91 last week. On a 1,400 lb steer, that works out to $4,394 per animal.
Fed heifers averaged $309.52/cwt, up $1.15 from last week. On a 1,200 lb heifer, that's $3,714 per animal.
Dairy cross steers came in at $283.40/cwt — a $30/cwt gap vs beef breeds. On a 1,400 lb animal that's a $420 difference per head based on breed alone.
Ontario packers pulled their bids entirely this week — no direct-to-packer sales. Everything moved through auction.
💀 Cull Cows — What Goes Into Your Ground Beef
Cull cows averaged $186.83/cwt this week, up $9.18/cwt from last week. On a 1,400 lb cow, that weekly jump works out to $129 more per animal than seven days ago.
Beef cows specifically averaged $201.16/cwt, up $6.29 from last week. Bulls averaged $306.36/cwt, up from $249.28 last week. On a 1,800 lb bull, that's a $1,026 swing week-over-week.
🐂 Stocker and Feeder Calves
Total stocker and feeder receipts were 3,867 head through Ontario auctions — up 989 head from the previous week. Here's what calves actually sold for this week:
- Steers 400–499 lbs: avg $642.80/cwt — on a 450 lb calf, $2,893 per head
- Steers 500–599 lbs: avg $609.73/cwt — on a 550 lb calf, $3,353 per head
- Steers 600–699 lbs: avg $592.40/cwt — on a 650 lb calf, $3,851 per head
- Steers 1,000+ lbs: avg $431.91/cwt — on a 1,050 lb steer, $4,535 per head
- Heifers 400–499 lbs: avg $536.06/cwt — on a 450 lb heifer, $2,412 per head
- Heifers 500–599 lbs: avg $515.35/cwt — on a 550 lb heifer, $2,834 per head
🌍 What Else Moved This Week
Grain prices since January 1st:
- 🌽 Corn up 3% — March futures at $4.54/bu
- 🫘 Soybeans up 17% — March futures at $12.11/bu
- 🌾 Wheat up 16% — March futures at $6.18/bu
Crude oil is above US$84/barrel, up 25% since February 5th following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Canadian beef imports in the first two months of 2026 totalled 70,335 tonnes — up 27% vs the same period last year. Australian imports up 93%, New Zealand up 77%.
Ontario live cattle exports to the U.S. in January 2026 were 14,084 head — down 19% from January 2025. Feeder exports down 85% year-over-year.
CME Futures (closing March 13): April live cattle $230.90, April feeder cattle $343.10.
📅 Upcoming Ontario Sales
- March 14 — Brussels Livestock: Special Bred Cow/Heifer Sale
- March 14 — Denfield Livestock Exchange: Special Spring Stocker Sale
- March 25 — Aylmer Stockyards and Vankleek Hill: Spring Stocker Sales
- April 11 — Brussels Livestock and Denfield: Bred Cow/Heifer + Stocker Sales
- April 22 — Kawartha Lakes Community Sale Barn: Special Spring Stocker Sale
- April 25 — Denfield Livestock Exchange: Bred Cow and Cow Calf Pair Sale
- April 29 — Aylmer Stockyards and Vankleek Hill: Spring Stocker Sales
The Numbers at a Glance
- Fed Steers: $313.87/cwt (down $1.04 from last week)
- Fed Heifers: $309.52/cwt (up $1.15 from last week)
- Cull Cows: $186.83/cwt (up $9.18 from last week)
- Bulls: $306.36/cwt (up $57.08 from last week)
- Light Steers under 400 lbs: $674.40/cwt avg, $840 top
- Total receipts: 8,081 head
Data sourced from the Beef Farmers of Ontario Weekly Market Report. Published every Saturday by The Butcher's Journal.