With only one more trading week left before the major holiday break of the year, and processors likely already filling up or slowing down, producers were still keen to offload this week and national cattle yardings hit their fourth-highest numbers for 2025. This put downward pressure on all categories as ample supply starts to test both processing capacity and restocker demand heading into the middle of summer.
The National Livestock Reporting Service has cattle yardings at 97,326 head, a drop of about 3,000 head from the previous week. The past fortnight has been the two highest yarding numbers of the year, and we’ve only had two weeks below the NLRS rolling two-year-average yarding figure (66,139) since the beginning of spring. This week’s numbers were 25% higher year-on-year, and 47% above the five-year-average for this specific week. The previous two weeks sat at 70% above the five-year-average. In turn, last week’s slaughter level was also elevated, about 8% higher than the same week in 2024.
Excluding the dairy cow price, which tends to have more volatility than the other national indicators, all categories only dropped between 5¢/kg and 12¢/kg this week. Heifers showed more resilience in both the restocker and feeder sectors compared to their male counterparts, falling by 5¢/kg and 8¢/kg respectively, despite both indicators increasing in throughput week-on-week. Restocker heifers closed at 400¢/kg, which was the first time in two months it dropped back below the five-year-average price. Roma, Queensland store sale had more than a third of the indicator throughput and averaged 416¢/kg, but it wasn’t enough to counteract the sub-400¢/kg averages at Gracemere, Qld, and across most of the NSW yards.
Heavy and feeder steers are sitting at the largest year-on-year premiums across the national indicators, and despite having lost 7¢/kg and 10¢/kg respectively this week, are still performing historically stronger compared to the heifer categories. Heavy steers are about 28% above the five-year price, while feeder steers are trading about 15% stronger. Roma also had the major yarding for heavy steers, but averaged 431¢/kg compared to the national average of 443¢/kg, while Wagga Wagga, NSW, had the most feeder steers and again traded below the national price, averaging 456¢/kg compared to 470¢/kg.
Processor cow numbers remained elevated, and the price dipped 9¢/kg to 379¢/kg, but they too are trading strongly compared to long-term price guides, roughly 35% above the five-year range and more than 50% above the 10-year price.
The week ahead….
This week offers our last full market gauge before the holiday season starts to impact both sides of the equation, and despite the slight dip, cattle prices are showing historical strength on the back of processing and feeder demand, with restockers not playing a huge role currently. This bodes well if the season allows more restocker activity in the new year, however if it doesn’t, processors could start to take their foot off the pedal if the huge supply of the past month has filled the coffers.
Despite saleyards and processors being shut for the holidays, the market continues to be thrown curveballs. The announcement of quota limits for beef imports into
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Most markets resilient against high supply
The National Livestock Reporting Service has cattle yardings at 97,326 head, a drop of about 3,000 head from the previous week. The past fortnight has been the two highest yarding numbers of the year, and we’ve only had two weeks below the NLRS rolling two-year-average yarding figure (66,139) since the beginning of spring. This week’s numbers were 25% higher year-on-year, and 47% above the five-year-average for this specific week. The previous two weeks sat at 70% above the five-year-average. In turn, last week’s slaughter level was also elevated, about 8% higher than the same week in 2024.
Excluding the dairy cow price, which tends to have more volatility than the other national indicators, all categories only dropped between 5¢/kg and 12¢/kg this week. Heifers showed more resilience in both the restocker and feeder sectors compared to their male counterparts, falling by 5¢/kg and 8¢/kg respectively, despite both indicators increasing in throughput week-on-week. Restocker heifers closed at 400¢/kg, which was the first time in two months it dropped back below the five-year-average price. Roma, Queensland store sale had more than a third of the indicator throughput and averaged 416¢/kg, but it wasn’t enough to counteract the sub-400¢/kg averages at Gracemere, Qld, and across most of the NSW yards.
Heavy and feeder steers are sitting at the largest year-on-year premiums across the national indicators, and despite having lost 7¢/kg and 10¢/kg respectively this week, are still performing historically stronger compared to the heifer categories. Heavy steers are about 28% above the five-year price, while feeder steers are trading about 15% stronger. Roma also had the major yarding for heavy steers, but averaged 431¢/kg compared to the national average of 443¢/kg, while Wagga Wagga, NSW, had the most feeder steers and again traded below the national price, averaging 456¢/kg compared to 470¢/kg.
Processor cow numbers remained elevated, and the price dipped 9¢/kg to 379¢/kg, but they too are trading strongly compared to long-term price guides, roughly 35% above the five-year range and more than 50% above the 10-year price.
The week ahead….
This week offers our last full market gauge before the holiday season starts to impact both sides of the equation, and despite the slight dip, cattle prices are showing historical strength on the back of processing and feeder demand, with restockers not playing a huge role currently. This bodes well if the season allows more restocker activity in the new year, however if it doesn’t, processors could start to take their foot off the pedal if the huge supply of the past month has filled the coffers.
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Data sources: MLA, Mecardo
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