Live sheep still setting sail
The live sheep export industry is still showing resilience against its impending federal government ban, continuing to trade above year-ago levels. In September, more than 57,000 head were exported, up from less than 2000 in the same month last year. While calendar year totals so far are still well below pre-COVID levels, there doesn’t seem […]
Lamb yards fill back up
The extra supply we’ve been waiting for in the lamb market seems to have arrived this week, putting a halt on what has been a slightly rising market in recent weeks. A majority of the lamb indicators lost roughly between 10¢/kg and 40¢/kg this week, while mutton only fell by 3¢/kg. That said, mutton is […]
90CL tracks higher, cows lower
A quick glance at what’s in the red and what’s not in the price and supply table tells you all you need to know about how the cattle market fared this week. Supply was up and all the major indicators fell by 13¢/kg or more. The one silver lining perhaps is the resilience of the […]
Brazil tariff puts Australia ahead in race for US beef market
One of Australia’s biggest export beef market competitors; arguably the biggest competitor actually, with more than 20% of the entire global trade, is also feeling a domestic cattle price pinch. Brazil’s cattle price cycle is heading south, with returns for their cattle in July reportedly 22% lower than they were at the same time last […]
Market looks for weight
Weight is what is wanted in the sheep and lamb market at the moment, as processors drive demand and restockers stay well away from the market. Prices remained pretty much exactly where they were for the week, with yardings down very slightly, as the market remained in a bit of a stalemate waiting for rain. […]
Lamb barely holds on as mutton falls further
The sheep and lamb market remained on the same trajectory this week, with a vast majority of indicators headed south. A glance at Figures 1 and 2 tells us much of what we need to know, and that is that producer returns will be about 50% less than the five-year average this spring. Meat and […]
Lamb leaving at new levels
Lamb exports continue to be well on track for another record year after a bumper August. Key markets in China and the Middle East have been increasing the volume of Australian lamb they import all year, as their economies and supply chains return to some sort of post-covid normality. Of course, this has been supported […]
Higher premiums for heavy steers
Cattle yardings fell this week to a touch over 38,000 head, which was the lowest volume to go through the yards since the first week of July. Slaughter continued to rise however, and although is a week delayed from yardings, does demonstrate that producers are perhaps more keen to go direct and know their returns […]
Lotfeeders load up
Cattle on feed numbers have climbed close to record levels for the June quarter, as lower feeder cattle prices helped offset high grain prices. Capacity was also at a record, with utilisation increasing to its highest percentage since the same quarter last year. Also impacting the numbers on feed was the marketing numbers, or turnoff, […]
Market needs a spring soaking
Spring has arrived, but it hasn’t brought with it any relief for cattle prices. In fact, the last week of winter has brought with it a drop in prices pretty much right across the board, as slaughter continues to track higher than the five-year average. The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) felt the most downward […]
Legions of lambs left to load
With weekly National Livestock Reporting Service reports showing lamb slaughter at well above both year-ago and five-year-average figures this year, it came as no surprise when the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics quarterly data came in last recently with very strong numbers. From March to June this year, 6.05 million lambs were processed – the […]
Is liquidation looming?
The latest slaughter and production data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is in, and unsurprisingly it marks a potential move into the next phase of the cattle cycle. As herd growth has matured across the country and falling young cattle prices add further disincentive for further restocking, the Female Slaughter Rate (FSR) has […]
