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Agriculture Roundup for Thursday December 9, 2021

Dec 9, 2021 | 1:39 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – There was a small decline in the number of cattle at auction during the final week in November.

Canfax reported a total of 25,687 head of cattle were sold in Saskatchewan which was roughly 1,000 fewer head for sale compared to the previous week.

Feeder steer prices saw price increases for the various weight categories. Prices ranged from $256.80 per hundredweight for the 300-to-400-pound class to $170.25 per hundredweight for the 900-pound weight category. The largest price increase was for 500-to-600-pound steers.

Average weekly prices for Saskatchewan feeder heifers were also mostly positive across the reported weight categories when compared to prices reported the previous week. The largest price increase was seen in the 400-to-500-pound weight category.

Representatives from Prince Edward Island farms handed out potatoes to the public yesterday in front of Parliament Hill, to show gratitude to their supporters and raise awareness of the effects of the export ban on Island spuds to the United States.

Two weeks ago, the Canadian government said it would suspend all shipments of fresh potatoes from the Island to the U.S. after the recent discovery of a fungus, called potato wart, growing on two potato farms.

P.E.I. potato board chair John Visser said he hopes decision-makers will take notice of this effort and resolve the trade issue quickly.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, who visited the event, says the government will pursue a scientific discussion with the U.S., with the objective of reassuring them as quickly as possible.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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