Staple strength in the eastern Australian states
The wool supply chain operates on averages for expected production in terms of quality. Quality varies through the season normally, with staple strength and vegetable matter being stand-out examples. Due to wool being grown in a biological system, quality occasionally varies from the average, and therefore the expected price usually reacts. This seems to be […]
Harvest, hay and yields
The latest ‘Wheatcast’ forecast, run on the 1st of November, has narrowed the range and decreased the expected wheat yield. It will be interesting to see how Wheatcast numbers line up with eventual production, but the final numbers look to be well below official forecasts. The two weeks leading up to the 1st of November […]
Low flock leads to high priced heavies
The lamb market has so far powered through spring at record levels, as a seasonally contracted lamb crop and historically high demand keep the momentum going. This time last year, I wrote that heavy lambs were “red hot as season hinders supply”. That week in 2024, the National Heavy Lamb Indicator closed at 842¢/kg. Last […]
Retail red meat retreating
The latest quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures were released last week, and apart from denying us all an interest rate cut, they revealed that red meat prices reached new record highs at retail level. As part of its quarterly CPI release, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) calculates changes in the price of various […]