Cattle shortage squeezes auctions

Two Saskatchewan livestock auctions have closed this summer, and more could follow as a result of the declining cow herd. The Livestock Marketers Association of Canada (LMAC) said the major decrease in cow numbers, exacerbated by drought, has changed market conditions considerably. Fewer cattle to sell at live auction plus a lack of skilled labour are forcing the businesses to adjust. “Over time there’ll be some more auction marts closed across Canada, maybe not this year or next year, but it’s going to take a long time to rebuild and we may not get back to the numbers that we used to have,” said LMAC chief executive officer Rick Wright. Kelvington Stockyards closed Aug. 1 and Assiniboia Livestock Auction closed later in the month. It’s unknown whether either would re-open if cattle numbers rebounded. Both businesses announced the closures on their websites. Roy Rutledge, who at one time owned Assiniboia and was managing it for Nilsson Bros., posted on the website that the corpor