Restocker yearling steers performed best this week, improving 12¢ week on week to 358¢/kg lwt and judging from MLA saleyard reports it wasn’t hard to see why. Young cattle in most of NSW and Queensland are coming off winter in good condition and restockers look to be keen to invest.
From Charter Towers to Gunnedah, finished stock prices were
typically steady but lighter weights were drawing more interest and competition
from buyers. All Queensland indicators improved, and NSW saw sideways or minor
ups and downs in pricing. In Victoria, prices dragged lower with the exception
of yearlings bought by restockers. Improving quality did not result in improved
pricing in Wodonga and Shepparton buyers were up and down in line with the
weight of the stock available.
With the north and south see-sawing on the price front, the
result was The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) rising 5¢ week on week to
628¢/kg cwt. The majority of other national indicators finished the week in
narrow range of 2¢ decline to 4¢ gains compared to last week as the cattle
market looks to shift into the summer phase of the market.
It was a great week out west with Muchea experiencing tight
supply but strong yearling demand. Mount
Barker saw improvement across the board with finished steers performing just as
well as the younger, lighter offerings. The result was a 77¢ jump in the
Western Young Cattle Indicator (WYCI) to 600¢/kg cwt and a 54¢ increase in the
WA Heavy Steer Indicator to 275¢/kg lwt.
Last week East Coast cattle slaughter reached 140,871 head,
the highest figure since April 2020. This was at a peak time for
pandemic-driven policy measures with borders closing and major events
cancelled. Numbers are similar but the situation is completely different. Year-to-date East Coast slaughter is 9%
higher YoY and is at its highest point since 2019 (drought liquidation). Year-to-date beef exports are 25% higher and
at their highest point since 2015.
Thankfully this time around this level of production isn’t panic and
uncertainty-driven but rather a more harmonious result of higher supply and
stronger demand.
This week on Mecardo, Angus Brown looked at historical
trends for cattle pricing (read
more here). This season compared to
the last few seasons has seen more typical price behaviour based on the
seasons. What normally follows an easing
October market is a steady rise over November to December for cattle
prices. This depends on when the
Northern wet season kicks off.
The week ahead….
The divide between seasons North to South has seen differences in quality and weight differ significantly in the eyes of saleyard buyers. Applying this logic to weaner sales might see restockers bolt out of the gates for young stock in NSW and Queensland in the coming weeks to get the pick of the bunch.
After writing an article for AuctionsPlus on assessing the value of weaners sold last week, there was some reader feedback around being too ‘wishy washy’
The cattle market continued its strong start to 2025, with most price indicators rising from last week’s starting point. Spurred by favourable rain, it was
Australian beef export volumes reached new highs in 2024 and are set to continue climbing in 2025. Our domestic beef herd reached maturation last year,
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Join the Mecardo team for the Commodity Conversations podcast, where we provide short weekly market recaps and longer conversations with guests to discuss the drivers and trends in livestock, grain and fibre markets.
In this report for LiveCorp and MLA, we analysed the historical trends in the demographics of the Australian sheep flock, examining domestic factors that influence farm-level enterprise decision making.
We don’t just bring you the most up to date market insights. Find out more about Mecardo’s services including risk management advisory, modelling, benchmarking, research & consultancy.
Buyers place their faith in youth
From Charter Towers to Gunnedah, finished stock prices were typically steady but lighter weights were drawing more interest and competition from buyers. All Queensland indicators improved, and NSW saw sideways or minor ups and downs in pricing. In Victoria, prices dragged lower with the exception of yearlings bought by restockers. Improving quality did not result in improved pricing in Wodonga and Shepparton buyers were up and down in line with the weight of the stock available.
With the north and south see-sawing on the price front, the result was The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) rising 5¢ week on week to 628¢/kg cwt. The majority of other national indicators finished the week in narrow range of 2¢ decline to 4¢ gains compared to last week as the cattle market looks to shift into the summer phase of the market.
It was a great week out west with Muchea experiencing tight supply but strong yearling demand. Mount Barker saw improvement across the board with finished steers performing just as well as the younger, lighter offerings. The result was a 77¢ jump in the Western Young Cattle Indicator (WYCI) to 600¢/kg cwt and a 54¢ increase in the WA Heavy Steer Indicator to 275¢/kg lwt.
Last week East Coast cattle slaughter reached 140,871 head, the highest figure since April 2020. This was at a peak time for pandemic-driven policy measures with borders closing and major events cancelled. Numbers are similar but the situation is completely different. Year-to-date East Coast slaughter is 9% higher YoY and is at its highest point since 2019 (drought liquidation). Year-to-date beef exports are 25% higher and at their highest point since 2015. Thankfully this time around this level of production isn’t panic and uncertainty-driven but rather a more harmonious result of higher supply and stronger demand.
This week on Mecardo, Angus Brown looked at historical trends for cattle pricing (read more here). This season compared to the last few seasons has seen more typical price behaviour based on the seasons. What normally follows an easing October market is a steady rise over November to December for cattle prices. This depends on when the Northern wet season kicks off.
The week ahead….
The divide between seasons North to South has seen differences in quality and weight differ significantly in the eyes of saleyard buyers. Applying this logic to weaner sales might see restockers bolt out of the gates for young stock in NSW and Queensland in the coming weeks to get the pick of the bunch.
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Click on graph to expand
Click on graph to expand
Click on graph to expand
Data sources: MLA, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Mecardo
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Have any questions or comments?
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Independent analysis and outlook for wool, livestock and grain markets delivered to you as it’s published
Listen to the podcast
Join the Mecardo team for the Commodity Conversations podcast, where we provide short weekly market recaps and longer conversations with guests to discuss the drivers and trends in livestock, grain and fibre markets.
Research: Analysis of the Australian sheep flock
In this report for LiveCorp and MLA, we analysed the historical trends in the demographics of the Australian sheep flock, examining domestic factors that influence farm-level enterprise decision making.
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We don’t just bring you the most up to date market insights. Find out more about Mecardo’s services including risk management advisory, modelling, benchmarking, research & consultancy.