Beef Central - Beef Cattle News Australia

Farmers urged to beware the rise of the ‘predatory activist’

Vegan activists getting in the faces of livestock producers already dealing with the pressure of managing livestock through the impacts of droughts, floods or fires – in some cases all three – what could possibly go wrong?..Read More

James Nason, February 18, 2019

News

Opinion: A NW Qld flood recovery option

Farmer and research economist Ben Rees outlines a Whitlam era policy that he believes offers the best approach to structuring northern flood recovery efforts…Read More

Ben Rees, February 18, 2019

Trade

WA butchers dominate 2019 National Sausage King results

Western Australian butchers provided the lion’s share of winners in the national final of the Australian Meat Industry Council’s ever-popular Sausage Kings competition held in Fremantle on the weekend…Read More

Jon Condon, February 18, 2019

Production

CPC’s annual management gathering salutes leadership and excellence + photos

Managers and senior staff from CPC’s 15 cattle properties scatted across northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, as well as Indonesian feedlots, gathered in Brisbane last week for their annual conference and get-together…Read More

Jon Condon, February 18, 2019

Uncategorized

Katter introduces Reconstruction Board Bill

The Katter Australia Party has introduced a bill to Federal Parliament today that seeks to establish an Australian Reconstruction and Development Board and enable reconstruction of ‘debilitating’ financial debts at the Government interest rate, currently set at 2.36pc…Read More

Beef Central, February 18, 2019

Markets

Western Victorian Livestock Exchange sale 18 Feb 2019

tronger restocker demand helped push up the average price of young cattle, while small numbers of grown cattle aided their general 10c/kg rise…Read More

Beef Central, February 18, 2019

Markets

Heifer prices edge higher in larger AuctionsPlus offering

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

News

New-look Beef Central website all about reader experience

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

News

“We will help rebuild the north’s cattle industry,” declares PM Morrison

Jon Condon, February 15, 2019

Production

NQ floods: Producers urged to check hay quality | Vets launch help hotline

James Nason, February 15, 2019

News

Ag Minister calls for calm after WA vegan/farmer confrontation

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

News

Three charged after flood victims targeted near Winton

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

News

Three charged after flood victims targeted near Winton

Queensland Police officers have arrested and charged three people with 10 charges related to taking advantage of flood affected property owners…Read More

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

News

NQ Floods: ‘Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink’

Like the ancient mariner’s lament ‘Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink’, a cruel irony of the flood crisis in north western Queensland is that some surviving cattle will still die from thirst despite being surrounded by water…Read More

James Nason, February 13, 2019

News

NQ floods: Channel country flows a rare silver lining

A rare silver lining stemming from the destructive flood event that has rocked north western Queensland in recent weeks is the drought-easing flows now expected to rejuventate the floodplains of the Diamantina River and other channels in the State’s west…Read More

James Nason, February 13, 2019

News

Four red meat reform options released, one month to have your say

Retain the existing red meat Memorandum of Understanding; abandon it altogether and let the ‘law of the jungle’ dictate industry affairs; merge organisations like MLA, AMPC and Livecorp and their peak industry councils; or establish a new ‘future focused’ organisation to oversee all red meat R&D and industry advocacy…Read More

James Nason, February 14, 2019

News

Ag Minister calls for calm after WA vegan/farmer confrontation

Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud has called for calm following an incident in Harvey, WA…Read More

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

Property

Big staffing changes in the rural property transaction space

The start of the 2019 year has heralded an unprecedented series of senior staff movements and appointments in the rural property transaction market across eastern Australia, reports property editor Linda Rowley…Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, February 13, 2019

Industry Dashboard

$A / $US Graph

Updated 7am daily

Today

0.7147

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

19 Feb 2019 (updated 10am daily)

Company	Price	Trending
Elders	$5.970
Australian Agricultural Co	$0.920
Graincorp	$9.540
Ruralco	$3.100
Ridley	$1.405
Woolworths	$30.275
Wellard	$0.061

Source: ASX

Beef Kill

Eastern States, weekly

Last Week

144049

Source: MLA's NLRS

EYCI

Eastern Young Cattle Indicator, c/kg

Today

459.25

Source: MLA's NLRS

90CL Cow

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

Today

649.9

Source: Steiner Consulting, MLA

Live Export

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

Today

325

Source: Trade contacts

SOI Graph

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)

Today

-0.6

Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

What readers are saying

Floods, drought, trade wars – trying to understand risk in a sea of uncertainty

Thanks for the great synopsis Simon - but terribly hard to plan on anything really! ....and the MLA estimate we have 27m cattle...again, always, no matter..

Grant Piper

‘The hand shake’ – reach out to those doing it tough in rural Australia

This would have to be the most honest down right truthful poem I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It brought tears to my eyes and pain to..

Bronwyn Hill

No live cattle export closure under Labor, pledges Fitzgibbon

MP Joel Fitzgibbon might have a bit of a selective memory in making the statement the live cattle trade has been "meeting community expectations on animal welfare issues since..

Matthew Journeaux

Four red meat reform options released, one month to have your say

Having a separate RDC for each sector is a valuable resource. But it is wasteful not to consolidate core functions such as human resources, finances, and IT, which are..

Johann Schröder

Western Victorian Livestock Exchange sale 18 Feb 2019

tronger restocker demand helped push up the average price of young cattle, while small numbers of grown cattle aided their general 10c/kg rise…Read More

Beef Central, February 18, 2019

Heifer prices edge higher in larger AuctionsPlus offering

Unmated heifer prices showed a modest rising trend on AuctionsPlus this week, where numbers offered continued to rise, with a total of 6999 head offered, an 11 percent rise on the previous week…Read More

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

Dalby Sale 13 Feb 2019: Cattle drawn from three States

The weaner market saw prices drop due to the ongoing dry conditions although the good quality lines still made in the 280c, with most making around the 255c for steers and 220c for the better quality lines of lightweight heifers…Read More

Beef Central, February 14, 2019

Roma store sale 12 Feb 2019: Most steer classes improve

The yarding was dominated by steers and heifers and quality was again mixed. Better quality lines continued to sell to strong demand…Read More

James Nason, February 13, 2019

Production

CPC’s annual management gathering salutes leadership and excellence + photos

Jon Condon, February 18, 2019

NQ floods: Producers urged to check hay quality | Vets launch help hotline

As truck loads of fodder pour into flood affected north western Queensland, a livestock nutrition expert is appealing to fodder suppliers not to use the event as a dumping opportunity for poor quality hay, which can pose serious dangers to the health of recovering stock…Read More

James Nason, February 15, 2019

NSW livestock producers warned of drought-stressed sorghum poison risk

Almost half the sorghum samples received this year by a NSW feed testing laboratory had significant levels of prussic acid, which could cause serious poisoning and death if grazed by stock, a recent NSW DPI warning suggests…Read More

Beef Central, February 11, 2019

Webinar to cover latest insights into pasture dieback

Latest insights into pasture dieback will be provided in a webinar hosted by FutureBeef and Beef Central on Friday February 15…Read More

Beef Central, February 8, 2019

Processing

Weekly kill: Price grids steady as adequate cattle supply continues

Despite slaughter cattle supply disruptions caused by flooding across north and northwest Queensland, processing rates hit a 2019 high last week, as the remainder of eastern Australian remains locked in a desperate drought cycle…Read More

Jon Condon, February 12, 2019

Weekly kill: far north’s epic rain event has little disruption on cattle supply

While the rest of eastern Australia still awaits some sort of summer seasonal break, flooding rain of biblical proportions in North Queensland is disrupting local kills this week…Read More

Jon Condon, February 5, 2019

Weekly kill: Grid prices stabilise after earlier falls

After a sequence of downward grid price movements over the past three weeks as large numbers of drought impacted cattle hit the market following the Christmas break, direct consignment offers from processors have largely stabilised this week…Read More

Jon Condon, January 30, 2019

Tenderstretching finding favour among processors chasing eating quality

The industry-wide move from commodity to branded beef programs, and the financial incentive to optimise grading outcomes under Meat Standards Australia are driving renewed interest in the tenderstretch carcase hanging technique…Read More

Jon Condon, January 23, 2019

Lotfeeding

WA company fined $30,000 for illegal feedlot

A Victorian company has been fined $30,000 for constructing an unauthorised cattle feedlot at Warradarge in Western Australia’s Mid-West region…Read More

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

Feedgrain Focus: Sorghum fades, boats arrive and cottonseed firms

Continuing hot and dry conditions are dimming yield prospects for sorghum in New South Wales and southern Queensland, where WA grain is supplying much of the feed market’s needs. ..Read More

Liz and Henry Wells, February 1, 2019

Decline in feeder prices improves grainfed trading budget result

A softer feeder cattle market since early January has contributed to an improved – albeit still loss-making – result in Beef Central’s latest 100-day grainfed trading budget calculated this morning…Read More

Jon Condon, January 31, 2019

Sorghum primed for re-entry into Downs feedlot rations

With numbers on feed in eastern Australian feedlots again under pressure due to desperately dry conditions, sorghum is coming back into calculations as a feedgrain in Queensland and northern regions of NSW. ..Read More

Jon Condon, January 16, 2019

Live Export

Wellard reports maiden after tax profit in first-half results

Live cattle exporter Wellard Limited has recorded its first half-year profit since listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2015…Read More

Beef Central, February 14, 2019

NQ floods: Live export ships diverted or delayed

Several shipments scheduled to leave Townsville in coming weeks for Indonesia and Vietnam have either been diverted to Darwin or Port Alma or delayed, but none have yet been formally cancelled, according to sources close to the trade…Read More

James Nason, February 8, 2019

SE Asia report: Feedlots still digesting Oct cattle | Floods may disrupt Ramadan supply

It may take well into March for large October imports to be fully eliminated from Indonesian feedlots, while the arrival of the northern monsoon and major flooding could disrupt supply in the crucial lead up period to Ramadan…Read More

Dr Ross Ainsworth, February 7, 2019

Laporan Pasar: Industri Daging Sapi Asia Tenggara – Januari 2019

Pasar masih terus tertekan oleh sapi yang dikirim kepada para penjual daging, karena 81.000 ekor sapi yang diimpor pada Oktober memberikan pengaruh penuh. ..Read More

Dr Ross Ainsworth, February 7, 2019

Trade

WA butchers dominate 2019 National Sausage King results

Jon Condon, February 18, 2019

January beef exports set solid early pace

While January traditionally represents the quietest month for Australian export beef trade following summer holiday meat processing and saleyard closures, volume shipped last month was much higher than recent-year comparisons. ..Read More

Jon Condon, February 5, 2019

Poland reports atypical BSE detection

AN atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopthy (BSE) has been detected in Poland, but poses no risk to human health and will not affect the country’s official BSE status, according to health authorities. ..Read More

Beef Central, February 5, 2019

Singing butcher returns in MLA’s latest beef campaign + VIDEO

The latest chapter of the popular ‘Australian Beef: The Greatest’ retail marketing campaign, reinforcing and promoting the provenance and high-quality of Australian beef, was launched today…Read More

Beef Central, February 4, 2019

Genetics

$230,000 record price for Tamworth performance horse sale filly

The 2019 Landmark Classic performance horse sale which finished up earlier this week has turned over more than $7 million in sales, headlined by a new Australian Performance Horse record of $230,000…Read More

Beef Central, February 15, 2019

Weekly genetics review: Focus on Breeding Objectives

As few as 10 percent of commercial beef breeders may currently be setting breeding objectives within their herds, industry data suggests. The importance of setting breeding objectives was just one of the key topics discussed at a Beef Genetics Network meeting in Armidale last week, genetics editor Alastair Rayner reports…Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, February 12, 2019

World record A$2.1m paid for US Angus bull

A world record A$2.1 million has been paid for an elite 12-month old Angus bull in northern hemisphere spring sales in the US this week…Read More

Beef Central, February 12, 2019

Weekly genetics review: What are bull breeders considering in 2019?

What does the 2019 bull selling year hold for seedstock producers? Beef Central’s new genetics editor Alaistair Rayner asked a number of prominent bull breeders for their views ..Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, February 5, 2019

Ag Tech

Crowd funding boosts agtech nutrition platform

Australian agtech company Direct Injection Technologies has gone live with its equity crowdfunding campaign, attracting 86 percent of the $1 million in funds it was seeking within 24 hours, to drive the growth of the livestock supplementation business…Read More

Beef Central, February 1, 2019

Agtech: New analytics platform to help future-proof farms

CSIRO and rural technology start-up Digital Agriculture Services have launched a new software platform that combines artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud-based geospatial technology to deliver reliable, independent and robust farm data and analytics…Read More

Beef Central, January 18, 2019

What’s next? The tech trends that could influence ag and other small businesses in 2019

Wherever you look, the future is about technology – the way we invest, how we grow our food and how we care for our health. In this article, National Australia Bank’s Business View takes a look at where technology might take us in 2019…Read More

Beef Central, December 17, 2018

Over the moon: Myriota launches a satellite for agtech on SpaceX rocket

South Australian based startup Myriota has just launched its next-generation technology into space on a satellite the size of a loaf of bread. ..Read More

Guest Author, December 13, 2018

Property

Weekly property Review: Recently completed sales

South African family expands its NT footprint with $5.5m deal | Interstate family pays $3.9m for Toowoomba’s Cowarrie | District record for Roma’s Sylvia Downs | Neighbours snap up quality Glen Innes block..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, February 13, 2019

Movement at the Station: Properties for sale

CQ coastal country has 14km beach frontage | NSW: Ceres Ag carves off Golden Triangle asset | Well-grassed Hunter Valley properties | High rainfall country available in NSW’s New England | NT: Kingfisher Station changes agents | Land banking potential near Echuca
..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, February 13, 2019