Heartland Livestock in Virden has seen some large numbers of cattle come through the auction ring over the past number of weeks, reaching record highs.
In early May the Virden auction mart hosted the Canadian Livestock Auction Championship where 39 auctioneers from across Canada where cattle producers saw their assets turn to cash for the 5111 cattle that came through the ring that day.
Branch Manager, Brennin Jack says it was a spectacular event in partnership with the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association and the Livestock Markets Association of Canada. And the numbers just keep rolling in, he adds.
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Last week they had just over 2200 cattle at their weekly sale in Virden with a huge run of feeders, over 550 cows and bulls, and 150 pairs and 35 bred cows.
"So, for the season, it was a very, very large sale and we certainly appreciate our customers from three to five hours on either side of us for bringing the cattle to us," shares Jack. "We sure don't take it for granted that people choose Virden to market their cattle."
With healthy cattle prices remaining strong, cattle producers are enjoying the fruits of their labor after years of struggling to make a solid profit and it looks like this is going to continue, barring 'a black swan' as Executive Administrator for the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association, Rick Wright, would say.
"You know, I think right now we're living in an Oasis of pretty good supply of moisture compared to what's happening obviously with the fires in the north and in northeast Saskatchewan - there's a lot of dry dryness there. And it doesn't take a long time to travel down the #1 Highway you get into that Moosejaw country, and it's very, very dry," shares Jack.
"We are already anticipating likely to see some pairs move due to some drought areas, and they'll be likely coming to Virden. Not only because we do have the grass, but some of our capabilities to get them marketed for customers across the country.
Looking ahead for the summer months, Brennin Jack says we're at historic levels right now for the butcher cow-bull market.
"My gut feeling is we have not seen the top of this market yet. A lot of cows trading right now as producers have basically turned all the cattle out that have had babies and those that are left around have been coming to town. So, I do anticipate a very wild cattle market as we move into July and August."
"I think the producers that are holding on to their cows a little bit are going to get paid quite a royalty premium for them to market them. So, we encourage folks to call us so that we can try and capitalize the most for each and every customer," he adds.