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| Cattle Prices Hit Record Levels |
| Ranchers in western Canada are enjoying record prices during the fall run now underway. A north Cadogan rancher, Gail Symington stopped in Provost on Friday for an interview before heading to the local auction market. His animals are now selling for an average $750 each and said that “This has got to be record prices.” The same animal would have been valued at $600 a year ago. Symington, along with his son Colin own 400 head of cows and 400 calves. The cattleman added that he heard the prices could last for up to a year. “It’s a shortage (of animals) I guess. When the herds build up the higher prices could go down.” He’s seen the fluctuations of prices before. Symington was “born out there 62 years ago and there were always cows there. I grew up hanging onto the cow’s tail.” Of the high prices, he is just going to enjoy it. “It’s pretty good.” The record prices are not causing a stampede of cattle through the ring—but it’s still so busy that the local market has again moved to two regular sales a week, Fridays and Sundays just to keep up moving the high numbers of cattle through. The fall run began mid September and will run until mid December. Lawes is not sure how long the prices will last at this level but thinks it might be close to the top of the cycle. Higher grain prices or a higher dollar could drive down prices for cattle. But he cautions people about making hasty choices by selling out of turn: “Every time you try to beat the (cattle) market, the market beats up on you. Nobody’s smarter than the general market.” The auctioneer—one of several on staff says that prices are now between $1.60 and $1.70 per pound compared to $1.40 to $1.50 a year ago. Calves are up $100 more than last year. “The light cattle (prices) are really high” right now says the Provost man. Cattle sold here on Friday came from a variety of places including points in Saskatchewan, Irma, Edgerton, Wainwright, Provost, Paradise Valley, Czar, Hughenden and even north of Battleford. He says that one of their successes is giving service and looking after clean fresh cattle. In the buyers’ stands that day were men from Lloydminster, Stettler, Provost, Killam, Lougheed and other places. Two days later and the cattle liners were back, the auctioneer with his gavel was in his chair and cattlemen nodding at him, with one eye on the herd in the ring. Last year approximately 95,000 head went through the ring at the local auction market—all contributing to a billion dollar industry across Alberta
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