Lotfeeders making hay
The cattle lotfeeding sector has been experiencing huge growth over the last few years. The September quarter saw growth in cattle on feed (COF) numbers steady, but some of the numbers suggest some challenges might be on the horizon. In 2023 and 2024 the growth in the national herd has been matched by growth in […]
Rain slowing harvest
Harvest has stalled somewhat on the east coast, with rain pulling up headers across much of southern NSW and into Victoria. The WA crop was coming off apace up until the latest update, it will be interesting to see how much more they can deliver. The ‘Harvest Updates’ were a little slow out of SA […]
Early indications of weaker lamb supply for 2025
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its quarterly livestock slaughter and meat production figures for September last week. The numbers explain a lot about what was happening in markets from June to September, but they are also important in assessing supply going forward. The September quarter saw the first year-on-year decline in quarterly lamb […]
Barley good selling in relative terms
With harvest rolling south and producers looking to price grain, it’s worth taking a look at the relative value of barley. Often the first cereal harvested, it is often sold off the header, especially when it makes malt specifications. Feed barley values relative to wheat and international corn prices are good indications of value. Barley […]
Where will southern weaners land on price?
It has been a tough year for southern cow/calf producers. The autumn and winter saw plenty spent on supplementary feed, and with the short season rapidly coming to a close, minds are turning to weaning cattle for sale at the annual sales. Here we look at possibilities for pricing. The cost of production of southern […]
A cracking pace for harvest
Grain harvest is setting a good pace this year, with little in the way of weather delays, and crops coming off well. Prices have been holding well in the face of the strong deliveries, but lower international values may test the market this week. Figure 1 shows harvest receivals for some of the major bulk […]
Are we sending the flock to China?
There was a massive spike in mutton exports in October. The confluence of weaker lamb supply, increased slaughter space, and a wide gap between lamb and sheep values at the saleyards saw a lot of sheep head overseas. This begs the question in the title, are we liquidating the flock and sending it to China? […]
Tightening WASDE but Canola comes up Trumps
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its November World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report late last week, and Donald Trump was elected President. While these two events are not directly related, both are moving markets here and overseas. Since we last had a close look at the WASDE the USDA has […]
Wet season fork in the road? We will know mon-sooner or later
A recent query came across the desk relating to monsoon scenarios. A wet, or wetter than average, monsoon will obviously impact the market in different ways to the drier than average monsoon. Here we try and take herd and season into account to offer some pricing scenarios. With more than half the Australian cattle herd […]
Prices aligning for canola
Canola producers who are windrowing or harvesting at the moment are getting a pleasant lift in values even as deliveries roll in. The improving market is being driven by international factors, with local prices responding in kind. Traditionally we expect canola prices to ease at this time of year as harvest deliveries ramp up. Canola […]
Spring flush on track … for now
It’s that time of year when the spring lambs start to flow. The winter-born lambs are traditionally starting to reach slaughter weights in late October and November, with many coming straight off mum. This year things might pan out a little differently. The ‘spring flush’ plays out differently across the lamb-producing regions of the east […]
Harvest deliveries rising, wheat prices easing
The grain harvest is underway and will move south at pace over the next ten to twelve weeks. Here we look at how the harvest has historically progressed, and how it will start to impact prices if it hasn’t already. Graincorp released their first ‘Harvest Update’ media release last week, and another on Monday, and […]
