Weekly genetics review: Having the right expectations for back-up bulls

With some bulls purchased during current spring sales heading into AI collection, a lot of herds will be using FTAI to access those genetics. This week’s column looks at the part of the program that often gets less attention: the back-up bulls. It covers measuring AI and natural service pregnancies separately, planning bull numbers on the females likely to return rather than the total in the paddock, and selecting back-up bulls to the same breeding objective as the AI sire…Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 06/10/2026

Cattle levy review recommends $1/head increase by 2028

Australia’s grassfed cattle transaction levy could rise from $5 to $6 a head by July 2028 under recommendations to be put to levy payers at next month’s MLA annual general meeting, with greater emphasis on levy accountability and more funding proposed for industry representation, biosecurity, the National Residue Survey and integrity systems…Read More

James Nason, 06/10/2026

From the Philippines to an Aussie feedlot – ‘It’s not simply a better job, it’s a better future’

Arnel Corpuz, one of the first Filipino workers to join an Australian feedlot, shares what a career in the lotfeeding sector has provided him and his family. ..Read More

Lydia Burton, 06/10/2026

Weekly kill: Weather contrasts, poor export outlook drive slaughter markets

It’s a nation of weather contrasts this week, with handy rain across large parts of Victoria, southeastern NSW and into South Australia over the past week seeing slaughter cattle supply dwindle in that region, while conditions continue to deteriorate in Qld and northern NSW…Read More

Jon Condon, 06/10/2026

Aussie dollar slides well below US70c

The Aussie dollar has dipped sharply since the closing stages of September, dropping below US70c for most of the past week…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

Weekly rainfall update + rainfall outlook 5 October 2026

A low pressure system formed near the NSW-Victorian border on 2 October, producing persistent and widespread rainfall along with isolated thunderstorms before moving offshore on the 4th. Weekly rainfall totals of 10-100 mm were recorded across Victoria, south-eastern South Australia, south-eastern and inland areas of NSW and western and northern Tasmania…Read More

Bureau of Meteorology, 06/10/2026

Gunnedah 6 October 2026: Overall firmer market in 2200 head yarding

It was an overall an overall firm market compared with last week at Gunnedah this morning, where 2200 were yarded…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

Emergency visa process no substitute for lasting workforce reform

The NFF is calling for urgent reform of Australia’s regional workforce and migration settings, warning the recent emergency process for critical farm worker applications is only a short-term pressure valve…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026



Industry Dashboard

Carbon Trading Market

Aust. Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) - $/tonne of CO2 equiv.

Today

38.25
Source: Jarden

$A / $US

Updated 7am daily

Today

0.6972
Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

07 Oct 2026 (updated 10am daily)
Company Price Trending
Elders $8.96
Australian Agricultural Co $1.52
Graincorp $7.29
Ridley $2.12
Woolworths $36.64
Wellard $0.06
Source: ASX

Beef Kill

Eastern States, weekly

Last Week

150172
Source: MLA's NLRS

EYCI

Eastern Young Cattle Indicator, c/kg

Today

910.9
Source: MLA's NLRS

90CL Cow

Imported 90CL cow beef price. Landed US, Ac/kg CIF

Today

1015
Source: Steiner Consulting, MLA

Live Export

Live export feeder steer prices ex Darwin (c/kg liveweight)

Today

450
Source: Trade contacts

SOI

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)

Today

-20.95
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Feeder Steer

NLRS-reported yards (feedlot buyers only); 0-600kg, 0-2T, c/kg LW

Today

492
Source: Feeder Steer

What readers are saying

NSW Government releases cattle tick strategy

I think one of the cornerstones is missing from the tick eradication strategy and that is understanding the resistance profile of the cattle ticks in NSW. Let's face it,....

Andrew Brewer
More
Brazil officially fills China quota; Argentina gains access to Japanese market

Very interesting reading. I’ve been banging on about the threat of Brazil getting into our lucrative markets for years — and now here we have their neighbour, Argentina, doing....

Glen Feist
More
A fresh look at Australia’s livestock exporting companies, 2005 to June 2026

What a fantastic article highlighting the importance of international export. Taking excess numbers out of the washing machine. Backed by world class animal welfare standards. Maybe we should start....

Chris Howie
More
Weekly genetics review: Do you have a fertility problem in your herd?

Thanks Alastair for another thought provoking article. Some respondent beef producers have commented that there may be a trade off between selecting for fertility and cull cow sale weights....

Fred Chudleigh
More

News

Cattle levy review recommends $1/head increase by 2028

Australia’s grassfed cattle transaction levy could rise from $5 to $6 a head by July 2028 under recommendations to be put to levy payers at next month’s MLA annual general meeting, with greater emphasis on levy accountability and more funding proposed for industry representation, biosecurity, the National Residue Survey and integrity systems…Read More

James Nason, 06/10/2026

Emergency visa process no substitute for lasting workforce reform

The NFF is calling for urgent reform of Australia’s regional workforce and migration settings, warning the recent emergency process for critical farm worker applications is only a short-term pressure valve…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

Fencing materials manufacturer named Australia’s most trusted agribusiness brand

Market research company Roy Morgan has completed its annual survey of Australia’s most trusted agribusiness brands, announcing fencing materials manufacturer Waratah as the winner for 2026…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

Diesel where it matters: Regions must be heart of national fuel reserve

The Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association is calling on the Australian Government to ensure its proposed Australian Fuel Security Reserve (AFSR) delivers diesel where it is needed in regional, rural and remote Australia…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

Markets

Gunnedah 6 October 2026: Overall firmer market in 2200 head yarding

It was an overall an overall firm market compared with last week at Gunnedah this morning, where 2200 were yarded…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

Young cattle values rise in smaller 10,600 head online offering

Most steer and heifer categories showed an encouraging recovery in c/kg prices this week in online trading, although listing numbers fell sharply, by 37 percent to 10,642 head. Numbers offered were well below the previous four-week average of 15,878 head…Read More

Beef Central, 04/10/2026

Dubbo sale 1 October 2026: Feeder steers lift 10c/kg, cows up 5c in 5330 head yarding

Feeder steers were 10c/kg dearer and cows 4-5c better in a yarding of 5330 at Dubbo yesterday..Read More

David Monk, NLRS, 02/10/2026

Charters Towers 30 September 2026: Heavy cows lift 5-8c in 3200 head yarding

                Yarding 3234 Change -291 Charters Towers Combined Agents penned 3234 cattle, 291 less than last sale. Quality was again mixed, comprising of..Read More

Nikki Nason, 02/10/2026

Sponsored Content

Market Check launches first-of-its-kind grain marketing academy for growers and agribusiness

Grain marketing advisory firm Market Check has launched a new education platform aimed at demystifying grain markets for anyone involved in the ag industry, from growers through to bankers, agronomists, feedlotters and graduates just starting out in agribusiness…Read More

Sponsored Content, 21/09/2026

The power of selenium in livestock

Selenium deficiency can silently undermine livestock health, fertility and performance well before clinical symptoms appear, making correct diagnosis, supplementation and administration essential to protect sheep and cattle. ..Read More

Sponsored Content, 14/09/2026

C-Lock takes cattle feed efficiency testing from months to minutes

Picture your cattle in the yards, and picture a number floating above each one. Not a weight. A ranking, 1 to 100, showing you exactly where that animal sits against every other animal in the mob for how efficiently it turns feed into product. Would it change which ones you cull?..Read More

Sponsored Content, 06/09/2026

Elite offering of Droughtmaster females in Queen of the Ring catalogue, backed by Vytelle

Vytelle is proud to introduce the line-up of elite Droughtmaster females heading to the ring at this year’s Vytelle Queen of the Ring sale, being held on Tuesday 15 September at CQLX Gracemere. Drawn from some of the breed’s most respected studs, this year’s draft brings together females selected for fertility, temperament, structure and the maternal traits that keep commercial and stud herds performing year after year…Read More

Sponsored Content, 31/08/2026

Production

$8m Future Forward Fund welcomed as an investment in SA livestock industry priorities

Livestock SA has welcomed the South Australian government’s $8 million Primary Industries Future Forward Fund as an opportunity to support practical, industry-led initiatives that strengthen the state’s livestock industry…Read More

Beef Central, 05/10/2026

Scholarship to give working dog education across the US

Applications are open for a new scholarship that will give young people with a passion for working dogs the opportunity to undertake a tour of America, aiming to improve their skills…Read More

Beef Central, 02/10/2026

Bull breakdown can cost herd performance

Losing young bulls to breakdown was once a major cost for an Esperance (WA) cattle producing family – but 20 years of vaccinating virgin bulls before joining has helped them reduce losses and improve their confidence in investing in better genetics…Read More

Beef Central, 29/09/2026

Fitbit-style sensor technology sheds light on calf loss

Researchers are using technology similar to the Fitbit used in human health and wellbeing, to better understand how cows care for their calves and uncover new ways to address calf loss in northern Australia’s beef industry…Read More

Beef Central, 28/09/2026

Processing

Weekly kill: Weather contrasts, poor export outlook drive slaughter markets

It’s a nation of weather contrasts this week, with handy rain across large parts of Victoria, southeastern NSW and into South Australia over the past week seeing slaughter cattle supply dwindle in that region, while conditions continue to deteriorate in Qld and northern NSW…Read More

Jon Condon, 06/10/2026

Big energy savings, reduced carbon footprint through heat recycling at Gundagai Meat Processors

A New South Wales red meat processor has implemented a staged heat recovery system that reduces natural gas consumption, improves refrigeration efficiency and removes the need for a major boiler upgrade…Read More

Beef Central, 30/09/2026

Weekly kill: Slaughter values hold up, as restocker and young cattle slide rapidly

A sharp contrast is emerging between slaughter cattle and feeder prices, relative to the lighter restocker descriptions which are currently falling rapidly in the saleyards system…Read More

Jon Condon, 29/09/2026

Weekly kill: Fuel and transport price rises curbing southern buyer interest in the north

Rapidly elevating fuel prices are now having a significant effect on slaughter cattle buying patterns, with the sharply rising transport cost keeping some southern Australian buyers out of the Queensland market…Read More

Jon Condon, 22/09/2026

Lotfeeding

From the Philippines to an Aussie feedlot – ‘It’s not simply a better job, it’s a better future’

Arnel Corpuz, one of the first Filipino workers to join an Australian feedlot, shares what a career in the lotfeeding sector has provided him and his family. ..Read More

Lydia Burton, 06/10/2026

Feedgrain Focus: Southern rain shows up in time

Barley has dropped by up to $10/t as modest new-crop volume starts to filter into the hungry northern market, and patchy rain helps to underpin yield prospects in the south…Read More

Liz Wells, 05/10/2026

Growing cattle on feed numbers at the centre of grainfed cattle levy review

The Australian Lot Feeders Association has joined the list of industry groups undertaking a review of the compulsory $5 transaction levy – with growing numbers of cattle on feed driving an ever-larger levy pool going under the microscope…Read More

Eric Barker, 01/10/2026

Australian beef’s best strategy in challenging export market conditions

While the quickly changing environment and uncertainty has been a big challenge for meat traders this year, a panel of industry leaders at last week’s BeefEx conference discussed how Australian beef can maintain its strong position in the challenging market. We need to stay out of the bare-knuckle fight with Brazil in commodity markets by pushing deeper into grainfed premium markets, the audience was told…Read More

Eric Barker, 30/09/2026

Live Export

A fresh look at Australia’s livestock exporting companies, 2005 to June 2026

Who are Australia’s active live exporting companies, and where do they operate? Since 2005 there have been 59 different companies that have exported livestock by sea, and the number of exporters still active in the last three years has sat at 16, down slightly from 19 in 2022, live export market commentator Michael Patching reports…Read More

Dr Michael Patching, 01/10/2026

SE Asia Report: Thailand working on plan to ship 100,000 cattle per month to China

The Thai agriculture ministry announced on 17 June that it is targeting the collection of Thai beef cattle for export by ship to China at 100,000 head a month, or 1.2 million head a year, through a quarantine hub to be built at Bang Saphan – a privately owned deep-sea port that Australian exporters used to discharge cattle back in 2015…Read More

Dr Michael Patching, 16/09/2026

Cattle shipments and prices rise, defying Indonesia’s headwinds

Higher supply often correlates with lower prices, yet despite monthly cattle export volumes climbing to a year-high in August, the price of live export steers ex-Darwin climbed to 440c–450c/kg for good lines. So what is driving the apparent contradiction?..Read More

James Nason, 11/09/2026

SE Asia Report: An early flicker of life in a stalled market

First-half Australian cattle exports fell 29 per cent and the squeeze is now biting downstream as Indonesian feedlots discount stock and ask for extended payment terms, while exports to another market in July represent potential green shoots in a previously large market…Read More

Dr Michael Patching, 01/09/2026

Trade

Aussie dollar slides well below US70c

The Aussie dollar has dipped sharply since the closing stages of September, dropping below US70c for most of the past week…Read More

Beef Central, 06/10/2026

New Halal requirements coming for Indonesian beef market

New rules and regulations will apply from the middle of next month for Australia’s boxed beef trade into Indonesia…Read More

Beef Central, 05/10/2026

Uruguay’s unused China quota may throw Australian beef a lifeline

A prospect has emerged that Australia may be able to get beef into China tariff-free over the next three months, by utilising unused quota allocated by China to Uruguay at the start of the year. With only three months of the year remaining, Uruguay has a large volume of unused China quota left this year, and other large exporters like Australia and Brazil are lining up to do deals that would see that tonnage re-allocated, or transferred, to escape the severe 55pc tariff that currently applies to trade…Read More

Jon Condon, 02/10/2026

Harmony’s F1 Wagyu brand tops Melbourne Royal Show Food Awards

Victorian-based supply chain Harmony Agriculture & Food Co has topped the annual Melbourne Royal Show Food Awards branded beef division this week with a sample of the company’s Black Opal F1 Wagyu x Angus product. The Black Opal entry topped 21 medal-winning beef entries in this year’s competitions. In other divisions, a Wagyu braseola product claimed champion smallgoods product of show. ..Read More

Beef Central, 30/09/2026

Genetics

Weekly genetics review: Having the right expectations for back-up bulls

With some bulls purchased during current spring sales heading into AI collection, a lot of herds will be using FTAI to access those genetics. This week’s column looks at the part of the program that often gets less attention: the back-up bulls. It covers measuring AI and natural service pregnancies separately, planning bull numbers on the females likely to return rather than the total in the paddock, and selecting back-up bulls to the same breeding objective as the AI sire…Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 06/10/2026

How to get started in using genomics to improve heifer selection

While many producers already use genetic information to help select bulls, genomic tools remain underutilised in commercial heifer selection. When used alongside phenotypic assessment and performance records, genomics can help identify the females with superior genetic potential, improve selection accuracy and accelerate genetic gain. Here’s how to get started…Read More

Beef Central, 05/10/2026

Weekly genetics review: Do you have a fertility problem in your herd?

This week’s column uses weaning results as the starting point and looks at why producers often put poor performance down to either nutrition or genetics, when both can be factors. It draws on CashCow and the 2025 Northern Genomics analysis, and builds on genomic prediction and Days to Calving material we discussed in an earlier column…Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 29/09/2026

Weekly genetics review: Are you buying the bulls you planned to buy, or the bulls the sale persuaded you to buy?

This week’s genetics review divides typical bull buyers into six distinct categories. Which do you fall into?..Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 22/09/2026

Ag Tech

User-friendly drone technology targeting weeds hovers into view

Land managers are closer to harnessing the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to help them manage Australia’s large and diverse exotic weed pest challenge…Read More

Beef Central, 28/08/2026

Technology to bolster on-farm biosecurity compliance

For biosecurity plans to be successful, they must be followed by everyone who enters a property. Technology has been developed to help make this easier…Read More

Lydia Burton, 07/08/2026

Virtual fencing delivers 99pc sheep, 96pc cattle compliance in US grazing trial

A year-long grazing trial in the United States has demonstrated high rates of compliance for cattle and sheep managed with virtual fencing technology…Read More

James Nason, 08/07/2026

High-tech simulator boosting safety on Queensland farms

A machinery simulation unit will be deployed to schools and feedlots across Qld as AgForce Training works to boost farm safety…Read More

Beef Central, 08/07/2026

AgProperty Central

Weekly property review: Northern & western Qld update

Northern and western Queensland take centre stage in this week’s property review, where the lasting benefits of a strong wet season earlier this year continue to influence grazing market trends…Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 30/09/2026

Weekly property review: Recently completed sales

Meldora expands with Riverina aggregation | Willow Tree grazing makes $7m..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 23/09/2026

Ogilvies relaunch Te Angie Station and Forest Lodge with expectations around $30-$35m

A new expressions of interest campaign will launch next week for the Ogilvie family’s two highly developed grazing properties in the New England region of northern New South Wales…Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 23/09/2026

Movement at the station: Properties for sale in Qld

Stuart Ramsey’s Channel Country station heads to auction | Campbells list dress circle Augathella country | $13.5m for CQ calf factory | The Bluff lists for $30m+..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 23/09/2026

AgCarbon Central

Call for food production to be protected in carbon market development

With the Federal Government reviewing the main policy underpinning demand for carbon credits, the National Farmers Federation says it needs to make sure food production is protected…Read More

Beef Central, 30/09/2026

Opinion: A bad time to be a tree in Queensland

James Henderson is a producer from Monto in Central Queensland and a co-founder of carbon and natural capital advisory IsidoreAg. In this contributed article, he argues that the Federal Government’s new environmental laws combined with a tightening of carbon and natural capital opportunities is pushing landholders to clear more trees than necessary…Read More

James Henderson, 08/09/2026

New method makes dual emissions reporting available to cattle companies

A new research paper has developed the first methodology enabling livestock companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions using both GWP100 and GWP*…Read More

James Nason, 02/09/2026

NFF raises concerns about proposed changes to soil carbon

The National Farmers Federation has raised concerns about proposed changes to Australia’s soil carbon methodology…Read More

Beef Central, 25/08/2026
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