Stettler Auction Market reported 1,519 head of livestock sold during the week ending Oct. 9 as cattle prices remained steady or strengthened slightly.

Butcher cows and bulls sold from steady to five cents per pound higher during Friday’s cattle sale.

Calves and yearlings traded at levels comparable with the previous week.

The 1,519 figure represents total livestock sold during the week, not cattle alone. The market also held its Tuesday sheep, lamb and goat sale.

Good ewes, rams and nannies sold in steady trade, while kids, ewe lambs and ram lambs also held near the previous week’s levels.

Stettler Auction Market expects cattle volumes to increase as harvest work concludes and more producers begin moving calves and cull animals to market.

The local results were consistent with parts of the broader Alberta cattle market.

Alberta Beef Producers reported light direct trade in fed cattle during the week, with dressed sales ranging from $495 to $500 per hundredweight delivered. Those prices were steady with the previous week, with cattle scheduled for delivery throughout November.

The provincial report also indicated that Alberta fed-cattle basis levels weakened during the week. Basis measures the difference between local cattle prices and the related U.S. market after accounting for currency and other factors.

The Stettler report provides producers with a local indication of market direction, although the value of individual animals depends on weight, quality, condition and buyer demand.

Recent federal figures show cattle prices remained considerably stronger than a year earlier despite some month-to-month weakness during the summer.

Statistics Canada reported that slaughter cattle prices declined across every province from July to August.

Higher cattle supplies and heavier carcass weights placed downward pressure on prices.

However, slaughter cattle prices remained above their August 2025 levels in every province except Quebec, supported by continued demand for beef.

The Stettler Auction Market report suggests local trade entered October on steadier ground, with firmer butcher-cattle prices and expectations of larger fall sale volumes.