Weaner heifers

MEAT & Livestock Australia has released two new livestock market indicators today.

The National Feeder Heifer Indicator (NFHI) and the Online Sheep Indicator (OSI), mark a significant step forward in livestock market transparency and decision-making support.

These indicators are the latest refinement of MLA’s National Livestock Reporting System, which already covers more than 50 physical saleyard markets and produces 18 price indicators.

The NFHI and OSI are designed to provide producers, processors, and stakeholders with more targeted, real-time insights into two critical market segments.

The launch reflects MLA’s commitment to delivering practical tools that help producers make informed decisions.

According to MLA managing director Michael Crowley the new indicators were a direct response to industry demand for more granular and accessible market data.

“The NFHI is the first of its kind, offering a dedicated lens into the feeder heifer market, an area previously underrepresented in national reporting,” he said.

Coincidentally, Beef Central has written today on the growth in lotfeeding of heifers for the Woolworths and Coles supermarket contract segment.

The NFHI provides detailed data on feeder heifers, defined as young female cattle raised for feedlot placement. It includes price trends, head counts, and breakdowns by saleyard, region, and category. It mirrors the structure of the existing NLRS feeder steer indicator and includes filters by state and report date.

“The NFHI will be an important decision-making tool for both producers and buyers as in combination with the existing National Feeder Steer Indicator, they now have a complete picture of the entire feeder market,” Mr Crowley said.

“This indicator will also provide MLA and industry with data to build insights into the heifer and steer supply and price dynamic across the rebuild and liquidation cycles.”

Online Sheep Indicator

The OSI is MLA’s first indicator based on online sales data for restocker and breeder sheep. It tracks price and head count trends over 12 months, with breakdowns by breed and filters by state, region, and category.

“The indicator will be useful for tracking value and price during cycles of flock rebuilding,” Mr Crowley said.

“With poor conditions currently impacting producers in South Australia and Victoria, it will be especially valuable as producers move into a rebuild once conditions break.”

These indicators also respond to recommendations from the 2017 ACCC report on improving competition in the cattle and beef industry. MLA has invested significantly in developing these tools, leveraging two decades of historical data to ensure robust comparative analysis.

“The more information we can capture, the better the price transparency across all livestock markets, Mr Crowley said.

“We continue to encourage participation from all livestock sale platforms to strengthen the value of these indicators.”

Source: MLA