Home - Beef Central

Heavier steers lift 20-30c in 9586 head AuctionsPlus offering

Steer prices trended up on AuctionsPlus this week, especially for heavier descriptions, which averaged 20-30c/kg higher than last week…Read More

Beef Central, August 23, 2019

Markets

Markets: Should southern states vendors hold on to weaners to sell as feeders?

In the current market, should southern states vendors try to hold on to weaners to sell as feeders? It has long been industry convention that a c/kg premium is received for weaner cattle, when compared to feeders, but the current drought conditions have seen a shift in this premium throughout 2019 towards feeder stock…Read More

Michael McManus, AuctionsPlus Market Insights, August 23, 2019

News

Surprising trends in ag research funding analysis

An analysis of investment in national rural research and development over the past decade has revealed, perhaps surprisingly, that overall funding for agricultural research in Australia has increased. The trend..Read More

James Nason, August 23, 2019

Lotfeeding

Feedgrain Focus: Barley shapes up in fuzzy new-crop picture

Strong winds, warm days, some frosts and no rain have battered the yield potential of crops, but January delivered WA boat barley is buying demand in feedlot rations in southern Queensland…Read More

Guest Author, August 23, 2019

Community and Lifestyle

Are you getting enough? Red meat should be embracing World Iron Awareness Week

A lack of dietary iron is the world’s most prevalent nutrient deficiency. Iron remains red meat’s most powerful consumer marketing weapon in a nutritional sense, and the Australian beef and sheepmeat industries ought to be embracing World Iron Awareness Week, starting next Monday, 26 August…Read More

Jon Condon, August 23, 2019

News

Last call for young industry stakeholders to enter for the 2020 Zanda McDonald Award

Flying around Australia and NZ in a private jet, and being mentored by some of the greatest leaders in the agriculture industry might sound like a bit of a pipe dream, but it will be a dream come true for one young Kiwi or Aussie again next year. The search is on to find talented and passionate young individuals working in the ag sector to apply for the prestigious 2020 Zanda McDonald Award, and while nominations close in a week, it’s still not too late to file an entry…Read More

Jon Condon, August 23, 2019

Markets

Dubbo Sale 22 Aug 2019: Southern restockers chase weaners

Continued support from southern restockers on the large numbers of plain conditioned weaners saves the day again at Dubbo in a smaller yarding…Read More

David Monk, August 23, 2019

Recruitment

Recruitment: Eight good reasons to listen to your employees

Beef Central, August 23, 2019

Production

Compound growth with grass and genetics

James Nason, August 22, 2019

News

People on the Move: Appointments, retirements, achievements

Jon Condon, August 22, 2019

Agribusiness

Ruralco, Landmark merger approved by ACCC

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

Trade

What can Australia expect, following’s Brazil’s beef access breakthrough with Indonesia?

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

Production

Productivity, emissions reduction benefits in new bio-char R&D project

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

News

People on the Move: Appointments, retirements, achievements

MLA’s Michael Finucan to move on | New role for Woolworths ‘Mr Meat’, Pat McEntee | New Australian MD for Sandalwood feedlot owners, Korea’s Lotte | Search begins for CCA executive | KG2 appoints livestock executive | Greensill sets sights on agribusiness growth, appoints new MD | New ARCBA president has strong livestock connections | MLA appointment boosts strategic comms capacity | Stronger team at recruiters, Agricultural Appointments | Mort’s new trainee livestock logistics and cattle buyer | Big future for Brisbane young judge | Plus more..Read More

Jon Condon, August 22, 2019

Trade

What can Australia expect, following’s Brazil’s beef access breakthrough with Indonesia?

What are the implications for Australia, following Brazil’s breakthrough in gaining access to supply beef to Indonesia – the world’s eighth largest beef export market and Australia’s fifth largest in 2018? Brazil’s entry with up to 50,000t of frozen beef will apply competitive pressure to Australia, but both will continue supplying into an ever-expanding market, MLA concludes in a report published this week…Read More

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

News

Comment: Red meat reform process needs solutions, not just criticisms

While there has been lots of talk so far from a relatively small number of people, where the ‘silent majority’ of levy payers stand on the red meat sector reform proposal put forward in early July remains a critically important, but as yet unanswered, question. ..Read More

James Nason, August 21, 2019

Property

Weekly Property Review: Demand remains strong in NSW Central west and Central tablelands

While conditions in the NSW Central West and Central Tablelands are desperately dry, the area is still productive and property supply and demand remains good – fuelled to a large extent by buyers from Sydney, property editor Linda Rowley reports in this week’s property review…Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, August 21, 2019

News

Former Alexandria manager wins NABRC producer medal

Respected northern Australian cattleman and industry innovator Ross Peatling was awarded the 2019 North Australian Beef Research Council producer medal as part of the Northern Beef Research Update Conference in Brisbane last night. Other medalists came from the fields of research, extension and young achievement…Read More

Jon Condon, August 21, 2019

Agribusiness

Ruralco, Landmark merger approved by ACCC

The ACCC will not oppose the proposed acquisition of rural services company Ruralco by Nutrien, which operates in Australia through its wholly owned subsidiary, Landmark…Read More

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

Production

Compound growth with grass and genetics

A northern cattle producer has likened the long-term pay-offs that can be achieved from investing in grass and genetics to the compound growth investors can earn from reinvesting dividends back into share portfolios…Read More

James Nason, August 22, 2019

Genetics

Weekly genetics review: The practicalities of introducing and managing new bulls

With thousands of herd bulls currently changing hands in the spring bull market, genetics editor Al Rayner offers some advice to buyers on managing new sire introductions and assimilating them into the herd..Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, August 20, 2019

Markets

Markets: Should southern states vendors hold on to weaners to sell as feeders?

Michael McManus, AuctionsPlus Market Insights, August 23, 2019

News

‘Some improvement’ in cattle and beef industry transparency, says ACCC

The cattle and beef industry has taken some steps towards improving transparency in dealings between processers and livestock producers, but more work is needed, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has noted…Read More

Beef Central, August 20, 2019

Industry Dashboard

$A / $US Graph

Updated 7am daily

Today

.6750

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

26 Aug 2019 (updated 10am daily)

Company	Price	Trending
Elders	$6.86
Australian Agricultural Co	$1.03
Graincorp	$7.82
Ruralco	$4.38
Ridley	$0.98
Woolworths	$35.94
Wellard	$0.04

Source: ASX

Beef Kill

Eastern States, weekly

Last Week

140560

Source: MLA's NLRS

EYCI

Eastern Young Cattle Indicator, c/kg

Today

508.25

Source: MLA's NLRS

90CL Cow

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

Today

695.8

Source: Steiner Consulting, MLA

Live Export

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

Today

305

Source: Trade contacts

SOI Graph

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)

Today

-6.53

Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Feeder Steer Graph

Shortfed feeder steer 380-500kg - c/kg paddock sales, eastern states.

Today

312.5

Source: MLA's NLRS

What readers are saying

Are you getting enough? Red meat should be embracing World Iron Awareness Week

Back to the future. Red meat, three vegetables, (white, green and yellow ) is a very nutritious and balanced meal. Hope MLA is promoting World Iron Awareness Week with its....

Val Dyer

Comment: Red meat reform process needs solutions, not just criticisms

Thank you James for providing the opportunity to clarify the position of the Australian Cattle Industry Council. We were formed from meetings in Casino, Boonah, Charters Towers, Tamworth....

John Gunthorpe

Opinion: How do we fund Australia’s herd rebuilding when the bank account is empty?

Love your work on Beef Central, Simon. Your attention to detail and interest in the industry is appreciated. We need more common sense discussion pieces like this to keep....

Matthew Della Gola

Is there really a problem with F1 Wagyu?

I don't think there is a problem with either Wagyu or the data. Open market analysis is great for a commodity product, however Wagyu is a niche. Individual body....

Steve Martin

Surprising trends in ag research funding analysis

James Nason, August 23, 2019

Are you getting enough? Red meat should be embracing World Iron Awareness Week

Jon Condon, August 23, 2019

Last call for young industry stakeholders to enter for the 2020 Zanda McDonald Award

Jon Condon, August 23, 2019

Recruitment: Eight good reasons to listen to your employees

Gone are the days where agribusiness managers spoke and employees just listened. For one thing, millennials and gen-Ys are taught to question things at school and university. For some, it’s a no-brainer that we should listen to our employees, but sometimes we might get busy or become too distracted…Read More

Beef Central, August 23, 2019

Markets

Heavier steers lift 20-30c in 9586 head AuctionsPlus offering

Steer prices trended up on AuctionsPlus this week, especially for heavier descriptions, which averaged 20-30c/kg higher than last week…Read More

Beef Central, August 23, 2019

Markets: Should southern states vendors hold on to weaners to sell as feeders?

Michael McManus, AuctionsPlus Market Insights, August 23, 2019

Dubbo Sale 22 Aug 2019: Southern restockers chase weaners

Continued support from southern restockers on the large numbers of plain conditioned weaners saves the day again at Dubbo in a smaller yarding…Read More

David Monk, August 23, 2019

Dalby sale 21 Aug 2019: Bullocks dearer, cows vary

Cows varied in price with plain condition classes improving by 6c to 16c/kg pushed on by stronger competition from local and interstate restockers. However good cows to export slaughter lost 10c to 11c/kg…Read More

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

Production

Compound growth with grass and genetics

James Nason, August 22, 2019

Productivity, emissions reduction benefits in new bio-char R&D project

A new research project could help red meat producers improve productivity and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by adding custom designed biochar to cattle and sheep rations…Read More

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

NSW on alert over pasture dieback in summer-growing grasses

NSW graziers have been advised to be on the lookout for pasture dieback next summer. The first suspected case in NSW was reported in autumn, and the site is now being closely monitored…Read More

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

More than $90 million paid in QLD flood recovery grants

More than $90 million in recovery grants has been paid to flood victims in North and North West Queensland in the six months since unprecedented weather devastated the region in February. About 1500 applications for financial assistance were approved for primary producers, totalling more than $82 million, while $7.8m was paid to flood-affected small businesses. Maxwelton’s Robert and Ruth Chaplain were among the recipients…Read More

Beef Central, August 19, 2019

Processing

Weekly kill: Some Qld grids lift 5-10c

Some Queensland slaughter cattle grids have risen 5-10c/kg this week, but the trend is more about processors re-aligning with their competitors’ higher offers, rather than overall cattle market changes…Read More

Jon Condon, August 20, 2019

Meat Business Women network heads to Brisbane

On the back of a successful launch event in Melbourne in April, organisers of the Australian chapter of Meat Business Women have announced the network’s second event this year, to be held in Brisbane in October…Read More

Beef Central, August 15, 2019

Weekly kill: Softening trend in saleyards sees some grid offers follow-suit

Further easing in saleyards pricing on slaughter cattle in the past ten days, combined with adequate supplies of paddock cattle has produced a softer trend in some Queensland processor direct consignment grids this week…Read More

Jon Condon, August 13, 2019

Major US beef abattoir fire could disrupt beef and cattle markets

A fire which destroyed one of the largest beef processing facilities in the United States on Saturday (Australian time) has the potential to disrupt beef and cattle markets, analysts say…Read More

Jon Condon, August 12, 2019

Lotfeeding

Feedgrain Focus: Barley shapes up in fuzzy new-crop picture

Guest Author, August 23, 2019

Australia could triple grainfed exports to China, says bank research

Continued growth in beef consumption in Asian countries, particularly China – along with Australia’s strong market access and competitive supply chain – will provide the opportunity for the nation’s total grainfed beef exports to increase 65pc to more than 500,000t by 2030, new Rabobank research suggests…Read More

Beef Central, August 21, 2019

June cattle on feed numbers hit new record 1.147 million head

Cattle on feed across Australia hit a new record high of more than 1.147 million head in the June quarterly feedlot survey results released this morning…Read More

Beef Central, August 12, 2019

Feedgrain Focus: Grower sales ramp up on southern rain

Rain this week in most South Australian and Victorian growing regions, and pockets of southern NSW, have prompted some forward selling of new-crop wheat and barley as yield prospects consolidate…Read More

Liz and Henry Wells, August 8, 2019

Live Export

Heytesbury deal for Wellard vessel purchase now back on track

A deal to sell its live export vessel, the MV Ocean Swagman to Western Australia’s Heytesbury Holdings is back on track, just a fortnight after owner Wellard signalled that the agreement was off, and an alternate buyer had been found…Read More

Beef Central, August 20, 2019

SE Asia Report: Strong Indonesian feeder imports continue in July

News from Dr Ross Ainsworth’s South East Asia report this month includes strong continued contined feeder imports from Indonesia in July, returning supplies of frozen Indian buffalo meat in Indonesia, but at very low volumes, and a chapter closes as PT Elders Indonesia closes its remaining business.
..Read More

Dr Ross Ainsworth, August 14, 2019

Laporan Pasar: Industri Daging Sapi Asia Tenggara – Juli 2019

Impor sapi bakalan Indonesia terus berlanjut hingga bulan Juli; Daging kerbau beku India kembali tersedia di pasar, tetapi dalam jumlah yang sangat kecil; PT Elders Indonesia menutup bisnisnya yang masih tersisa di Indonesia; Harga sapi steer Darwin ditambahkan pada grafik di bawah ini.

Dr Ross Ainsworth, August 14, 2019

Wellard reveals new buyer for Swagman

Wellard Limited says it is moving closer to selling the M/V Ocean Swagman after agreeing to a new $37.1 million purchase proposal for the vessel from a Panama based subsidiary of Nova Marine Holdings SA…Read More

Beef Central, August 6, 2019

Trade

What can Australia expect, following’s Brazil’s beef access breakthrough with Indonesia?

Beef Central, August 22, 2019

Tariff on Australian beef to China doubles from Aug 17

China has doubled tariffs on eight important categories of Australian imported beef, after Australia triggered its 2019 annual beef quota to China following booming trade volumes this year…Read More

Jon Condon, August 19, 2019

Casino veal supply chain wins national food industry award

One of Australia’s most successful and enduring veal supply chains has won a major national food industry award. Northern Cooperative Meat Co’s Three River Farms veal brand won a major accolade in the annual Food and Beverage Industry awards held at Darling Harbour in Sydney last month…Read More

Jon Condon, August 16, 2019

Indonesia to import 50,000t of beef from Brazil

Australian beef exports to Indonesia are facing more competition with the country yesterday announcing it will now open its market to imports of beef from Brazil…Read More

Beef Central, August 15, 2019

Genetics

Weekly genetics review: The practicalities of introducing and managing new bulls

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, August 20, 2019

Tools available to help producers pick a high-performance sire + Videos

When two sires look similar – same breed, same weight and both structurally sound – how does one tell which will produce the most fertile daughters or progeny with the best marbling? The truth is, nobody can tell, by looks alone. But that’s why producers have access to breeding values.

They allow stakeholders to see ‘under the hood’ and know, with a high degree of confidence, a sire’s genetic potential in their herd…Read More

Beef Central, July 6, 2019

Weekly genetics review: For some, spring bull sale results better than expected

On the back of a third year in drought and declining cow numbers, there has been quiet concern among many over prospects for this year’s spring bull sales as the July sales commenced. However some strong results, underpinned by bulk purchases from Queensland producers, have combined to keep clearances reasonably strong over the past four weeks. ..Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, August 13, 2019

Australian Charolais evolve into ‘unique’ sub-type, carcase competition wins show

Few beef industry stakeholders today would recognise modern-day Charolais cattle from the parent breed that first came out to Australia in the 1960s, Palgroves David Bondfield said on Wednesday, while collecting a swag of major trophies from Brisbane Show s 100-day grainfed carcase competitions..Read More

Jon Condon, August 9, 2019

Ag Tech

Regional ag businesses harvest the fruits of broadband internet

When two large Qld lotfeeding operations invested in broadband internet, questions were posed around whether the service would really help the businesses increase productivity, and whether it was ‘only going be used for social media and Netflix by staff.’ But improved connectivity has not only boosted productivity and staff retention, but also reduced maintenance, service costs and labour costs…Read More

Beef Central, August 21, 2019

GPS tracking devices help underpin animal production claims

GPS tracking devices aren’t just revolutionising livestock monitoring and offering up a solution to cattle theft – they’re also delivering guaranteed best practice certifications for consumers. Farming technology company IDS Australasia’s ‘GFARM’ tracker, which works hand-in-hand with livestock management tools to draw on real-time information, is now commercially available to producers…Read More

Beef Central, August 12, 2019

CQUni agtech tested for Argentinean farming systems

CQUniversity researchers are investigating Argentinean beef production systems with a view to opening markets for emerging agtech company, DataMuster…Read More

Beef Central, August 8, 2019

Producers tap into ag innovation at livestock forum

Livestock producers have tapped into new research to improve productivity, profitability and animal welfare on their farms at the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation’s Livestock Forum…Read More

Beef Central, July 30, 2019

Property

Weekly Property Review: Demand remains strong in NSW Central west and Central tablelands

Property editor Linda Rowley, August 21, 2019

Weekly Property Review: Recently completed sales

Rural identity Tim Fairfax expands his portfolio | TA Field secures Aberfeldy in $24m deal | Holbrook’s Stonehaven makes +$11m | Locals buy blue ribbon Riverina holding Wirralie for +$12m | SA family pays $9-$10m for Mt Skinner in first foray into NT | Well known Nth Qld producers secure Mt Surprise country..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, August 14, 2019

Movement at the station: recent property listings

Chinese-owned NT cattle stations return to the market | First class Cootamundra agricultural investment | Prized country in southern NSW | Riverina powerhourse Gundaline presents well, after rain | QLD’s Clark & Tait portfolio on the market after 120 years..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, August 14, 2019

Rolleston’s Billabalong sets $22m record for Arcadia Valley country

Located in the heart of arguably the best cattle country in Queensland, 3900ha Billabalong station has set a price record for the Arcadia Valley region of more than $22 million, following completion of an expressions of interest campaign this week..Read More

Jon Condon, August 13, 2019