Home - Beef 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

News

More consumers eating more red meat as health benefits gain traction

For the first time in a decade, more Australian consumers are increasing their red meat consumption than reducing it, Meat & Livestock Australia managing director Michael Crowley says…Read More

James Nason, 28/10/2026

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

News

Continued strong meat demand underpins solid Woolies first quarter performance

Beef mince and value-added proteins were singled out for mention in strong fresh foods performance within Woolworths’ solid first quarter results for the period ended 30 September announced this morning…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

News

RMAC appoints replacement for chair, John McKillop

The Red Meat Advisory Council has announced a new independent chair to take over from John McKillop, who was in the role for six years…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

Processing

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

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

If you could see a number above every animal in the mob, ranking it on how well it turns feed into product, would it change which ones you keep? Because when a stud can see that number, it doesn’t just change one herd. It changes every herd its bulls go into…Read More

Second Wagyu commercial cattle online sale slated for launch

A second monthly Wagyu and Wagyu infused commercial online cattle sale platform has been launched, just a week after a similar platform held its first sale…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

Markets

Dalby sale 28 October 2026: Rain reduces numbers

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

Genetics

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

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 27/10/2026

News

“This is our levy”: Camm urges cattle producers to have their say

James Nason, 27/10/2026

Processing

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

Jon Condon, 27/10/2026

Genetics

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

Beef Central, 27/10/2026

News

Farmers left in limbo as buyback looms

Beef Central, 27/10/2026

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

0.7039

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

28 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

1030.1

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

527

Source: Feeder Steer

What readers are saying

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

Vale Tom Mann

A true gentleman and mentor to many, the industry is in a better place today from the foresight showed By Tom . Will be missed by us all. Condolences to....

Russell Lethbridge

Vale Tom Mann

Tom Mann will leave a big gap in the beef industry - his legacy will live through his family and those who had a close association with him. ....

Desiree Jackson

Vale Tom Mann

A great loss to the beef industry. I recall that Tom donated 100 heifers to a large crossbreeding project the Cattle and Beef CRC were running at “Duckponds” ....

Alan Hoppe

More consumers eating more red meat as health benefits gain traction

For the first time in a decade, more Australian consumers are increasing their red meat consumption than reducing it, Meat & Livestock Australia managing director Michael Crowley says…Read More

James Nason, 28/10/2026

Continued strong meat demand underpins solid Woolies first quarter performance

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

RMAC appoints replacement for chair, John McKillop

The Red Meat Advisory Council has announced a new independent chair to take over from John McKillop, who was in the role for six years…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

“This is our levy”: Camm urges cattle producers to have their say

At Cattle Connect 2026 last Friday cattle transaction levy review chair Bryce Camm reflected on what the review committee heard, why it made the recommendation it did and why he wants producers to get out and vote at next month’s MLA AGM…Read More

James Nason, 27/10/2026

Markets

Second Wagyu commercial cattle online sale slated for launch

A second monthly Wagyu and Wagyu infused commercial online cattle sale platform has been launched, just a week after a similar platform held its first sale…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

Dalby sale 28 October 2026: Rain reduces numbers

The trend of reduced numbers due to widespread rainfall across the supply area continued at Dalby with agents yarding 2,486 head a decline of 794 from the previous sale…Read More

Beef Central, 28/10/2026

Roma sale 27 Oct 2026: Market stronger for all categories

A quality line up presented. All the regular buyers attending and active with the market stronger for all categories 15 to 35c/kg and more in places, mainly due to the wet weather..Read More

Beef Central, 27/10/2026

Gunnedah 27 Oct 2026: Market mostly dearer

It was good quality yarding of predominately yearling and weaner type cattle however all grades were represented…Read More

Beef Central, 27/10/2026

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

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

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

Feeder cattle market: Grids strengthen as northern rain builds

Northern feeder cattle grids have risen slightly in the north, with one of the first signs of widespread Spring rain starting to appear…Read More

Eric Barker, 12/10/2026

Live Export

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

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

Trade

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

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

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

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

Properties for sale – NSW and SA

NSW grazing aggregation offered for $26m–$27m | Bartlett brothers list SA’s blue-ribbon Tolcairn | Two New England beef platforms head to auction | New price guide for Manning Valley’s Strike A Light..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 21/10/2026

Movement at the Station: Recent property listings in Queensland

Atherton family lists 3 NQ cattle stations | Hughenden’s Zara Station has capacity for 5000 cattle | Abundant feed & water on Wattlevale | Langham offers beef & reef on Capricorn Coast..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