Home - Beef Central

Records fall as 4000 NT backgrounder Brahmans sell in single online offering, to domestic buyer

In a transaction worth around $6.6 million, a record 4000 NT-bred Brahman steers and spayed heifers were sold in a single line in Friday’s AuctionsPlus online sale. It’s the single largest lot offering ever seen in the online platform’s 40-years of operation, and sent a signal that on the current rising market, domestic operators are prepared to tackle live export buyers for good Top End cattle. ..Read More

Jon Condon, 02/11/2026

News

Long range forecasts in question as some areas receive wettest Spring on record

Long range forecasts have again been called into question after a forecasted dry spring across the Eastern Seaboard has finished with record breaking rainfall…Read More

Eric Barker, 02/11/2026

Live Export

ALEC CEO to step down

The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) has announced that CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton will step down after eight years at the helm, leaving a significant legacy of effective advocacy, industry leadership and collaboration across Australia’s livestock export sector…Read More

Beef Central, 02/11/2026

News

AgForce backs proposed $1 cattle transaction levy increase

In this contributed article, AgForce cattle board chair Lloyd Hick explains why the organisation has chosen to throw its support behind a $1 increase to the cattle transaction levy…Read More

AgForce cattle board chair Lloyd Hick, 02/11/2026

Farm safety matters: All day, every day

Australian agtech company AirAgri believes that every person deserves to go home safely at the end of the day. This simple objective is what is driving its latest approach of farm safety integration of the familiar WhatsApp platform with its established safety and compliance platform, with the potential to extend access through emerging satellite-to-mobile services. ..Read More

Feedgrain Focus: Big year for barley blending expected

A finish of contrasts in south-western NSW vs northern NSW and southern Qld is pushing lightweight barley into the feed market as a blending option for growers and consumers…Read More

Liz Wells, 02/11/2026

News

Zoetis raises another $100,000 for Beyond Blue’s rural mental health effort

Following a fundraising tradition stretching backed 11 years, animal health company Zoetis has raised another $100,000 this year for mental health organisation Beyond Blue through its annual Helping Rural Australians Start The Conversation campaign. This year’s contribution brings the total raised to $1.1 million since the partnership was struck in 2016…Read More

Beef Central, 02/11/2026

Markets

Restockers drive stronger online market

Following recent rain, restockers were operating strongly in AuctionsPlus on Friday, where cattle listings surged 47 percent to 18,054 head…Read More

Beef Central, 02/11/2026

Markets

Wagga sale 2 Nov 2026: Yarding lifts with higher prices

Leann Dax, 02/11/2026

News

Industry can’t become complacent on fuel security, new RMAC chair

Eric Barker, 30/10/2026

News

Another cattle tick outbreak renews calls for tougher biosecurity measures

Lydia Burton, 30/10/2026

Opinion

Is Australia’s cattle industry investing enough in its national voice?

James Nason, 30/10/2026

Trade

Strong red meat industry representation among Australian Export Awards finalists

Beef Central, 30/10/2026

Why seedstock producers are first in line for on-property feed efficiency testing

Industry Dashboard

Carbon Trading Market

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

Today

37.75

Source: Jarden

$A / $US

Updated 7am daily

Today

0.7032

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

02 Nov 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

1037.2

Source: MLA's NLRS

90CL Cow

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

Today

1011

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

547

Source: Feeder Steer

What readers are saying

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

A very inspiring message from a well respected cattle man both in Australia and the Philippines. I couldn't agree more to every statement.....

Amiel Laspinas

Is Australia’s cattle industry investing enough in its national voice?

I commend the efforts of Cattle Australia CA and Adam Coffey. I agree that $2.5m for our peak body is not enough. Is there a guarantee that CA will get....

Joanne Rea

Cattle Australia counters activist deforestation claims at Woolworths AGM

Thanks Adam, for being the voice of reason in that room today, we should be grateful for you making the effort to be there and keep showing up in....

Stuart Austin

US goes past Aussie domestic market as largest destination for Aussie beef

It would be interesting to see rankings and comparisons in value terms rather than just in volume terms. Japan has traditionally been a higher value market with mostly table....

Andrew Dunlop

Long range forecasts in question as some areas receive wettest Spring on record

Long range forecasts have again been called into question after a forecasted dry spring across the Eastern Seaboard has finished with record breaking rainfall…Read More

Eric Barker, 02/11/2026

AgForce backs proposed $1 cattle transaction levy increase

In this contributed article, AgForce cattle board chair Lloyd Hick explains why the organisation has chosen to throw its support behind a $1 increase to the cattle transaction levy…Read More

AgForce cattle board chair Lloyd Hick, 02/11/2026

Zoetis raises another $100,000 for Beyond Blue’s rural mental health effort

Beef Central, 02/11/2026

Industry can’t become complacent on fuel security, new RMAC chair

While it seems like months ago that concerns about Australia’s fuel supply was leading every news bulletin, the structural problems that led to the shortage still remain and industry cannot afford to get complacent…Read More

Eric Barker, 30/10/2026

Markets

Records fall as 4000 NT backgrounder Brahmans sell in single online offering, to domestic buyer

Jon Condon, 02/11/2026

Restockers drive stronger online market

Following recent rain, restockers were operating strongly in AuctionsPlus on Friday, where cattle listings surged 47 percent to 18,054 head…Read More

Beef Central, 02/11/2026

Wagga sale 2 Nov 2026: Yarding lifts with higher prices

Feeder steers led a solid market, particularly vendor-bred Angus steers and heifers. Light cattle were scarce, with most sold remaining in the local area..Read More

Leann Dax, 02/11/2026

Dubbo sale 29 October: Feeder steers 8-15c dearer

A fair quality yarding with good numbers of prime cattle in all sections along with large numbers of yearlings to suit the feeders and backgrounders…Read More

David Monk, NLRS, 30/10/2026

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

Processing

Workforce pressures in red meat processing set to build over next decade

The red meat processing industry will need to manage more than 91,000 worker departures over the next decade, economic analysis commissioned by AMPC suggests. Most new entrants to the sector will be replacing departing workers, leaving a growing gap as labour demand strengthens later in the decade…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

Cattle slaughter falls sharply on rain

National cattle slaughter fell by 7800 head last week, on the back of widespread rain and its impact on logistics, cattle supply and changing producer sentiment…Read More

Jon Condon, 28/10/2026

Weekly kill: Sizing up the short and longer-term impact of the big rain event on processing

Export beef processing plants all the way from North Queensland to southern NSW will miss production days this week and/or next week, as the first real impacts from the recent big rain event take hold…Read More

Jon Condon, 27/10/2026

Weekly kill: Rain pushes some grids higher, as supply tightens

This week’s rain event is pressuring supply for beef processors – both short and potentially, longer-term – pushing some direct consignment offers and saleyards markets higher…Read More

Jon Condon, 20/10/2026

Lotfeeding

Feedgrain Focus: Big year for barley blending expected

A finish of contrasts in south-western NSW vs northern NSW and southern Qld is pushing lightweight barley into the feed market as a blending option for growers and consumers…Read More

Liz Wells, 02/11/2026

Feeder cattle market: Gridlock as prices surge to “anyone’s guess”

Feeder cattle prices across the north have surged in the past week as widespread rain and supply disruptions send buyers to the saleyards – with some Hereford steers this morning going above 590c/kg and Angus cattle heading from south to north…Read More

Eric Barker, 26/10/2026

Feedgrain Focus: Rain washes quality, weight from northern crops

Cereal crops in southern Qld and northern NSW are losing weight and quality every day as rain settles in over the region…Read More

Liz Wells, 26/10/2026

Feedgrain Focus: North firms, south eases as harvest ramps up

Prices have firmed in the north and eased in the south amid more patchy rain, and concerns about locusts in Vic’s Mallee region…Read More

Liz Wells, 19/10/2026

Live Export

ALEC CEO to step down

Beef Central, 02/11/2026

SE Asia Report: High Aussie cattle prices and Indonesia’s domestic price caps make trading conditions difficult

High Australian cattle prices and Indonesia’s domestic price caps are making trading conditions difficult | Vietnam’s cattle herd is shrinking despite higher beef output | Australia’s live cattle exports down 23.5pc year-on-year | ..Read More

Dr Michael Patching, 29/10/2026

Live cattle exports ease, but Darwin prices hold ahead of Ramadan buying

Australia’s live cattle exports fell by almost 35 percent in September, but Darwin feeder prices remain firm as the trade prepares for an expected lift in Indonesian buying ahead of Ramadan…Read More

James Nason, 14/10/2026

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

Trade

Strong red meat industry representation among Australian Export Awards finalists

The red meat industry and its service providers are well represented among the finalists for the 2026 Australian Export Awards being announced in Canberra next month…Read More

Beef Central, 30/10/2026

Customer-savvy independent butchers kicking goals in red meat sales

Brisbane-butcher Billy Gibney who will manage Australia’s 2028 World Butchers Challenge Team shares his insights from behind the retail counter on how cost-of-living pressures are playing out at the retail shop front, but also the the bright future in the next generation of young butchers coming through, including newly inducted Australian Butchers’ Challenge team member Luke Thomas from Toowoomba…Read More

Roger Desailly, 22/10/2026

Central Qld’s King River Wagyu supply chain claims regional exporter award

Wagyu beef supply chain King River has claimed a major award during the 2026 Premier of Queensland’s Export awards held in Brisbane this week…Read More

Jon Condon, 16/10/2026

Playing with the big boys: Brazil’s beef export push set to intensify competition for Australia

Brazil’s emergence as the world’s largest beef producer and exporter is reshaping global trade flows and intensifying competition in several of Australia’s key export markets, according to a recent report…Read More

Beef Central, 09/10/2026

Genetics

Weekly genetics review: The highs and the lows of the 2026 bull sale season

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner’s summary across 450 bull sales held so far in 2026 across Australia shows numbers offered were up 3.2pc on last year, clearance lifted almost 2pc to 91.6pc, while the weighted average price rose 43pc to $12,113. ..Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 27/10/2026

84pc of Angus seedstock breeders back breed-owned genetic evaluation, as questions over MLA plan go unanswered

Results from a recent survey of members show that Angus seedstock breeders have given their national breed society a clear mandate to keep control of Angus genetic evaluation, as MLA progresses moves towards a multibreed evaluation system…Read More

Beef Central, 27/10/2026

Angus Australia challenges MLA over multi-breed evaluation moves

The nation’s largest and most influential seedstock representative body has taken MLA to task over its proposed establishment of a national multi-breed genetic evaluation platform…Read More

Jon Condon, 21/10/2026

Weekly genetics review: Look past the turnoff when judging your breeding program

This week’s column looks at why year-to-year sales figures on their own can’t show whether a herd’s genetics are improving. It draws on a new Livestock Science paper on long-term drivers of northern beef performance, and the Bush AgriBusiness Australian Beef Report 2026, then works through where genetics can help a herd move closer to the top 25pc performance target through more weaners, fewer deaths and heavier sale cattle…Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 20/10/2026

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: Recently completed sales

Grimwade & Gordon portfolio winds down | Qld family buys Lund Grain’s Burdekin irrigation & cattle operation | Three NQ cattle stations secured for new national parks..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 28/10/2026

Properties for sale- New South Wales

Leading wool broker lists Molong’s Mullungeen | Liverpool Plains property tipped to attract good interest | Coolah’s Kapsch Farms remains for sale | $20m price tag for Western Lands Lease..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 28/10/2026

Movement at the station: Properties for sale in Qld, Victoria and South Australia

Clarks list Victorian ag opportunity | Extended EOI’s for SW Qld’s Boanbirra | Scale in SA’s Murray Mallee..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 28/10/2026

Weekly property review: Recently completed sales

Record for Augathella dress circle country | Farming families pay $14m for Innisfail Downs in NW Qld | NQ’s Ella Vale changes hands | CW NSW’s Kallara makes $2.2m..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 21/10/2026

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