Home - Beef Central

Cattle exports surpass 80,000 head in April

Cattle export volumes from Australia in April surged to the highest monthly total of the year to date, but notably no shipments were sent to the second largest market of Vietnam during the month…Read More

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

News

Kay’s Cuts: US market defies gravity in post-tariff era

The trade war between the US and China continues, with US red meat exports to that country now virtually halted due to colossal tariffs. As the US Meat Export Federation noted last week, pork and beef exports to China have since hit a wall due to China’s duties, which now total 147pc for US beef. However, one wouldn’t know any of this was going on if you looked at the market for US grain-fed cattle – cash live cattle prices set record highs for two and likely three weeks in a row…Read More

Steve Kay, 09/05/2025

News

MLA seeks applications for three director positions

Meat & Livestock Australia is seeking applications for three non-executive director positions on Board, to be decided at November’s AGM in Adelaide…Read More

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

The Weekly Grill

S5 Ep13: World Angus Forum delegates on genetic selection progress in methane reduction

In today’s episode podcast host Kerry Lonergan catches up with Angus cattle producers attending the World Angus Forum in Brisbane. Genetic selection of cattle for lower methane, sustainability and consumer attitudes to climate issues were common themes throughout the two-day event. What are the threats and opportunities Angus bull breeders see on these topics in coming years? ..Read More

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

Recruitment

Recruitment: What job-seekers care about, and what employers should highlight

Attracting top talent in the agricultural sector is not just about filling positions – it is about securing skilled individuals who will drive innovation and productivity in the industry. With workers becoming more selective about their career choices, agribusinesses must focus on more than just salary. Workplace culture, career development, and meaningful work play a crucial role in attracting and retaining top talent…Read More

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

Killain Angus reflects on years of genetic progress with hormone-free IVF

As the Australian beef industry welcomes the world for the prestigious World Angus Forum this week, Killain Angus in Tamworth NSW, stands out for both its deep-rooted heritage and forward-thinking approach to breeding. The benefits of Vytelle’s hormone-free approach to IVF have been transformative for the stud’s breeding program…Read More

Dubbo sale 8 May 2025: Feeder steers cheaper

There were good numbers of cows and there were some large consignments of plainer quality cattle in from the far west…Read More

David Monk, 09/05/2025

News

How media often gets it wrong on livestock emissions

In 2023, media articles said a newly-launched United Nations publication was encouraging people to change their diets away from meat —but that’s not what the report said, a leading livestock and climate authority told the World Angus Forum in Brisbane this week. ..Read More

James Nason, 08/05/2025

Trade

Crossbred Wagyu entry tops Brisbane branded beef competition

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

Lotfeeding

Feedlot trial a brush with success

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

Markets

Dalby sale 7 May 2025: Cheaper trend hits market

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

News

‘The next thing I knew, I hit the lines’: Chopper pilot survives remote crash with help of RFDS

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

News

Value-Based Marketing era will depend on industry ‘win-win’ mentality

Jon Condon, 07/05/2025

Property

Weekly property review: Recently completed sales

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/05/2025

Industry Dashboard

Carbon Trading Market

Aust. Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) - $/tonne of CO2 equiv.

Today

33.70

Source: Jarden

$A / $US

Updated 7am daily

Today

0.6400

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

09 May 2025 (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

79870

Source: MLA's NLRS

EYCI

Eastern Young Cattle Indicator, c/kg

Today

688.4

Source: MLA's NLRS

90CL Cow

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

Today

1042

Source: Steiner Consulting, MLA

Live Export

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

Today

345

Source: Trade contacts

SOI

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)

Today

3.10

Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Feeder Steer

NLRS-reported yards (feedlot buyers only); 0-600kg, 0-2T, c/kg LW

Today

382.9

Source: Feeder Steer

What readers are saying

Mexico certifies arrival of more than 8000 Australian cattle since March

Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for life.....

mark driscoll

Value-Based Marketing era will depend on industry ‘win-win’ mentality

Value based marketing has always been our future. Averages reward the laggards and punish the performers and at the same time confuse our consumers with variable product. We need....

David Crombie

Mindshift change needed to focus on beef turnoff, not stock numbers

Agree with all the above. However where do the poor performers go? Yes it might be more sustainable for your business, however as an industry these animals need to....

Mitchell Sharrock

Value-Based Marketing era will depend on industry ‘win-win’ mentality

Great article Jon thank you. We attended a field day in CQ in May 2017 put on by a local processor to display the Dexa scan and to promote....

Lachlan Mace

Kay’s Cuts: US market defies gravity in post-tariff era

Steve Kay, 09/05/2025

MLA seeks applications for three director positions

Meat & Livestock Australia is seeking applications for three non-executive director positions on Board, to be decided at November’s AGM in Adelaide…Read More

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

Recruitment: What job-seekers care about, and what employers should highlight

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

How media often gets it wrong on livestock emissions

James Nason, 08/05/2025

Markets

Dubbo sale 8 May 2025: Feeder steers cheaper

There were good numbers of cows and there were some large consignments of plainer quality cattle in from the far west…Read More

David Monk, 09/05/2025

Dalby sale 7 May 2025: Cheaper trend hits market

The nationwide cheaper trend continued in Dalby, except for light weight yearling steers and heifers returning to the paddock. ..Read More

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

Roma sale 6 May 2025: Prices ease in smaller yarding

Quality weaner steers were the main feature of Tuesday’s sale with just under 6,400 head yarded at the Roma Saleyards…Read More

Beef Central, 07/05/2025

Wagga sale 5 May 2025: Record numbers flood market, pushing prices lower

A new yard record has been set at the Wagga selling centre with numbers up more than 2000 head on last week. ..Read More

Leann Dax, 06/05/2025

Strategies to keep your beef herd pestivirus-free

A pestivirus infection on AA Co’s Wylarah Station near Surat provided the basis for this step-through of methods of detection and long-term management of the disease ..Read More

Beef Central, 01/05/2025

Locals acquire Roma stockfeed business

Queensland beef producers Cam and Sharon Colley have taken over Roma-based stockfeed manufacturer Top Country, signalling plans to grow the business and bring fresh ideas to its product range. Top Country came to..Read More

Emma Alsop, 30/04/2025

NSW Government green lights virtual fencing tech

Uncertainty over the use of virtual fencing for livestock management in NSW has been cleared up following a state government decision to approve the use of the technology for cattle…Read More

Beef Central, 30/04/2025

Processing

Weekly kill: Big supply surge unfolding, as pressured grids shed 10-20c/kg across Eastern states

Both direct consignment and saleyard-sourced slaughter cattle have come under price pressure this week, as meatworks types try to hit the market in heavy numbers. Queensland grid prices have slid another 10-20c/kg on top of earlier falls, as processors fill available slots deep into June and even early July. ..Read More

Jon Condon, 06/05/2025

Weekly kill: CQ grids soften, other regions steady, as northern supply surges

The beef production heartland area of Central Queensland has become a pinch-point in the slaughter cattle supply-demand equation, with direct consignment bookings starting to mount up significantly heading into May. Some grids in the region are back another 10c this week, while the rest of eastern Australia sees direct consignment rates mostly unchanged..Read More

Jon Condon, 29/04/2025

Electronic tongue gets a taste for ‘off’ meat

Australian researchers trialling an electronic tongue – or ‘e-tongue’ – report that instrumental taste measurements successfully detected spoiled vacuum-packed mince…Read More

Sue Webster, 23/04/2025

Weekly kill: Grids soften, as drier track returns and short weeks exert impact

There are sharp corrections evident in direct consignment slaughter cattle grid prices this week, as stock access improves after earlier wet weather in some regions and the last of the backlog of rain-delayed process cattle is cleared…Read More

Jon Condon, 22/04/2025

Lotfeeding

Feedlot trial a brush with success

Feedlot cattle with access to grooming brushes are generally more content, sociable and have less stress, according to recent research out of Murdoch University’s Centre for Animal Production and Health. ..Read More

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

Feedgrain Focus: northern selling lifts as southern dry drags on

Selling has gained momentum in the north on the back of promising new crop prospects, while concerns are building in south after rainfall fails to deliver on expectations…Read More

Emma Alsop, 05/05/2025

Feedgrain Focus: Southern growers see some promising weekend falls, but more needed

After Easter break delivered little of the rainfall needed to bolster planting confidence across southern states, growers received some useful weekend falls – but more is needed…Read More

Emma Alsop, 28/04/2025

Feedgrain Focus: Dollar rebound pressures values

A rebound in the Aus dollar has trimmed recent grain price gains, while dry conditions in Vic and SA continue to restrict grain flows…Read More

Emma Alsop, 22/04/2025

Live Export

Cattle exports surpass 80,000 head in April

Beef Central, 09/05/2025

Mexico certifies arrival of more than 8000 Australian cattle since March

Agricultura, Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has confirmed it has received a second shipment of Australian live cattle for genetic improvement, bringing to 8014 the number of Holstein dairy cows imported since March…Read More

Beef Central, 07/05/2025

Keep the Sheep live export campaign to keep on keeping on

LIVE sheep export by sea proponents unbowed by the Coalition’s loss in the federal election believe a majority Albanese Labor Government now had a chance to change its mind on phasing out the trade by 1 May 2028…Read More

Terry Sim, 06/05/2025

Northern live export feeder steer price eases as supply builds

Northern feeder steer prices ex Darwin have eased in recent weeks as supply builds with dry season mustering programs now underway…Read More

James Nason, 01/05/2025

Trade

Crossbred Wagyu entry tops Brisbane branded beef competition

A crossbred Wagyu entry displaying abundant marbling and exceptional eating quality has claimed the Royal Queensland Show 2025 branded beef competition. ..Read More

Beef Central, 08/05/2025

Domestic wholesale beef market: High prices meet softening pre-winter demand – something’s gotta give

Domestic red meat wholesalers are facing challenges in the post-Federal Election period, with high commodity prices at a time when pre-winter beef demand is in seasonal decline…Read More

Jon Condon, 07/05/2025

April beef exports surge to near-record 127,000t

Australia’s chilled and frozen beef exports surged to near record highs in April, reaching 127,172t, as the red meat industry’s production surged sharply. That figure is up 14,800t from the previous month, and 21pc higher than April last year. Is trade starting to reflect tariff impacts?..Read More

Jon Condon, 05/05/2025

Lamb, mutton and goat processors gain expanded access to China

Approvals have been granted for 17 additional Australian mutton, lamb and goatmeat export establishments to access the China market…Read More

Beef Central, 28/04/2025

Genetics

Feed efficiency part of breeding the ‘ideal cow’

Matching cows to the environment and production system was the key message from United States animal scientist Professor Dan Shike during a session exploring the topic of “What’s the Ideal Cow?” during the World Angus Expo in Tamworth on the weekend. He identified feed efficiency as a future selection target ..Read More

Brett Tindal, 06/05/2025

Leveraging genetic innovation driving smaller US beef herd

The links between how history has created where we started, how technology has driven where the beef industry is currently at, and how genetic opportunity will drive where the industry goes next was explored during the World Angus Forum in Tamworth on the weekend…Read More

Brett Tindal, 05/05/2025

Angus genetics driving brand transformation at JBS

The demand for highly consistent quality beef, backed by a provenance story and a validation of what a customer is eating and consistently enjoys has been the major driver for JBS Australia’s Southern grassfed operations transitioning to predominantly an Angus breed base, delegates attending the World Angus Forum on the weekend heard…Read More

Brett Tindal, 05/05/2025

SA Wagyu pioneer earns Life Membership

The Australian Wagyu Association has bestowed its highest honour – the Honorary Life Membership Award – on industry innovator, leader and visionary, Scott de Bruin. The prestigious accolade was announced..Read More

Beef Central, 02/05/2025

Ag Tech

SA producers still blocked from proven technology as NSW green lights virtual fencing

Livestock SA is calling on the South Australian Government to urgently reform outdated regulations that continue to block livestock producers from using virtual fencing, as New South Wales becomes the latest state to legalise the technology…Read More

Beef Central, 02/05/2025

AgTech success story as Optiweigh delivers 1000th in-paddock weighing unit

One of Australia’s agtech success stories has crossed a significant milestone, with the delivery of the 1000th Optiweigh unit to one of the company’s early adopters…Read More

Eric Barker, 30/01/2025

Scholarship to help keep Luke on the land after life-altering car crash

A North Queensland cattleman who became a quadraplegic after a car crash has received a bursary to become a drone pilot, to assist with work on his family’s cattle property…Read More

Beef Central, 29/01/2025

Green ammonia – Are we overlooking the opportunity for the livestock sector?

What if protein was no longer a limiting factor in our northern beef systems? Qld beef industry RD&E professional Dr Lindsey Perry looks at how small-scale, on-farm ‘green’ ammonia technologies could provide localised systems to potentially fill the protein gap in future…Read More

Lindsey Perry, 20/12/2024

AgProperty Central

Weekly property review: Recently completed sales

Yarrowitch’s Jamberoo passes in at auction | CQ’s McKeering family secures Malanbar | Winton block exceeds expectations | Grimwade & Gordon holding placed under contract | Qld producer secures Tamworth’s versatile Bywondah | Holbrook family secures historic New England grazing..Read More

Property editor Linda Rowley, 07/05/2025