Home - Beef Central

Cattle come from all directions in big week at western Qld spelling yards

Livestock transport drivers in Western Queensland have had a busy fortnight as inland country starts to dry out after earlier unseasonal rain and cattle start to head south and east…Read More

Eric Barker, 08/10/2026

Processing

Australian meat yields have gone down over 20 years, is it time for a re-focus?

Record export volumes and carcase weights are masking a growing concern in the Australian beef industry, according to one of the country’s most respected meat scientists…Read More

Eric Barker, 08/10/2026

News

Queensland’s regional employer payroll tax concession – not fit for purpose

Brisbane lawyer David Hughes from McCullough Robertson argues that Queensland’s Regional Employer Payroll Tax discount – introduced to encourage employment, investment and economic activity in regional parts of the state – is not fit for purpose…Read More

David Hughes, McCullough Robertson, 08/10/2026

The Week in Beef - Podcast

Podcast: Return ticket for NSW cattle | Behind proposed levy increase | Bargains at the butcher

In this episode: Cattle are on the move in Qld as the season deteriorates, what do the top 25 per cent most profitable beef producers do that others don’t? And Jack Blaine shares why he started Diggers to Stockman, an initiative that connects veterans with the cattle industry…Read More

Lydia Burton and Eric Barker, 08/10/2026

News

Expressions of interest open for sustainability framework steering committee

The Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) is seeking expressions of interest from experienced sustainability professionals to join its Steering Group, with three independent environmental, social and governance (ESG) expert positions available from January 2027…Read More

Beef Central, 08/10/2026

Production

Webinar: Reducing the impacts of dehorning – new research on wound treatment and management

How can practical wound treatment and management strategies improve animal welfare and production outcomes following dehorning? This is the topic for the next Beef Connect webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, 28 October…Read More

Beef Central, 08/10/2026

Markets

Dalby sale 7 October: Feeder steers lift 10c/kg in smaller 4540 head offering

While overall results were mixed, medium and heavy yearling steers to feed averaged 10c/kg better in a smaller Dalby sale offering of 4540 head yesterday. Local patch rain saw the offering decline by 1300 head. ..Read More

Beef Central, 08/10/2026

Property

Weekly property preview: Recently completed sales

Borg secures NSW property for $11m | SE Qld grazing country makes $17.5m | NSW Western Division holding fails to sell at auction | Negotiations underway for Qld’s Turn Turn & Wittenburra..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/10/2026

Property

Movement at the station: Recent property listings NSW and Qld

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/10/2026

Property

New property listings – WA and SA

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/10/2026

News

2026 Australian Beef Report: What separates the top 25pc from the rest?

James Nason, 07/10/2026

Trade

Trade distortions continue to buffet September beef exports

Jon Condon, 07/10/2026

Lotfeeding

Hay, cottonseed, silage: What’s the outlook like for roughages heading towards a dry summer?

Eric Barker and Lydia Burton, 07/10/2026

Weather

Dry September deepens rainfall deficits across eastern Australia and western WA

Beef Central, 07/10/2026

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

0.6962

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

09 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

918.6

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

2026 Australian Beef Report: What separates the top 25pc from the rest?

That's an informative read...

Angus Geddes

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

Having worked for and with Arnel and a team of Filipinos in both feeding and livestock teams across 2 QLD feedlots, I can happily say these are some of....

Wal White

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

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

Cattle come from all directions in big week at western Qld spelling yards

Livestock transport drivers in Western Queensland have had a busy fortnight as inland country starts to dry out after earlier unseasonal rain and cattle start to head south and east…Read More

Eric Barker, 08/10/2026

Queensland’s regional employer payroll tax concession – not fit for purpose

David Hughes, McCullough Robertson, 08/10/2026

Podcast: Return ticket for NSW cattle | Behind proposed levy increase | Bargains at the butcher

Lydia Burton and Eric Barker, 08/10/2026

Expressions of interest open for sustainability framework steering committee

Beef Central, 08/10/2026

Markets

Dalby sale 7 October: Feeder steers lift 10c/kg in smaller 4540 head offering

Beef Central, 08/10/2026

Roma sale 6 October 2026: Market solid throughout for larger 9500 head yarding

The market solid throughout for a larding of 9591 head at Roma yesterday – up 1800 on last week. Quality was mixed with a large percentage of cattle with high content…Read More

Beef Central, 07/10/2026

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

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

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

Australian meat yields have gone down over 20 years, is it time for a re-focus?

Record export volumes and carcase weights are masking a growing concern in the Australian beef industry, according to one of the country’s most respected meat scientists…Read More

Eric Barker, 08/10/2026

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

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

Lotfeeding

Hay, cottonseed, silage: What’s the outlook like for roughages heading towards a dry summer?

As the season dries out in parts of Queensland and cattle keep trickling into saleyards, it is worth taking a look at the supply of hay and other roughages…Read More

Eric Barker and Lydia Burton, 07/10/2026

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

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

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

Trade distortions continue to buffet September beef exports

Australia’s beef exports continue to be buffeted by a combination of trade distortions caused by quotas and tariffs, with September export activity data released this morning reflecting the challenging trading conditions. ..Read More

Jon Condon, 07/10/2026

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

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

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 preview: Recently completed sales

Borg secures NSW property for $11m | SE Qld grazing country makes $17.5m | NSW Western Division holding fails to sell at auction | Negotiations underway for Qld’s Turn Turn & Wittenburra..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/10/2026

Movement at the station: Recent property listings NSW and Qld

Scale & location in CQ | Moonie River grazing attracts strong inquiry | Water a drawcard in NSW’s New England | $14m for Qld high rainfall grazing | $9m for NW NSW grazing & carbon..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/10/2026

New property listings – WA and SA

$30m – $35m for WA’s Bindoon campus & farmland | Local interest in WA sheep farm | SA’s Wattle Range splits seven ways..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/10/2026

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

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