Home - Beef Central

What’s in store for the live cattle trade for the rest of 2026?

During the Ekka last week, Beef Central asked several people close to the northern live cattle trade – Australian exporters, northern producers and Indonesian importers – what they see in store for the sector for the remaining five months of 2026…Read More

James Nason, 13/08/2026

News

McDonald’s Aussie beef requirements topped 89,000t in 2025

Global burger restaurant giant McDonald’s bought 89,000 tonnes of Australian grinding beef in 2025, cementing the food service operator as easily Australia’s largest single beef customer…Read More

Jon Condon, 13/08/2026

Live Export

Opinion: The other side of the trade

A recent visit to Indonesia showed Jessie Daniels what the live cattle trade means at the other end of the northern cattle supply chain…Read More

Jessie Daniels , 13/08/2026

The Week in Beef - Podcast

Podcast: Behind the JBS Indonesia deal | Levy shake-up | The two W’s driving the market

In this episode: Rabobank’s Stefan Vogel talks about the cattle market outlook; Jon Condon unpacks to JBS/Indonesia deal and; Will Evans gives an update on the levy review…Read More

Eric Barker and Lydia Burton, 13/08/2026

Production

Grower perspectives on the adoption, establishment and management of leucaena

Veteran leucaena researcher Dr Max Shelton recently completed a 1400km trip through Central Queensland to assess the establishment and management of the browse legume and to identify key issues affecting its adoption and use. Here’s what he found…Read More

Dr Max Shelton, 13/08/2026

Still feeding the hard way?

Unlike traditional supplementation, which depends on cattle visiting a feeding point, water supplementation works with an animal’s natural daily behaviour. Every drink becomes an opportunity to deliver consistent nutrition…Read More

Landholders invited to Taroom Trough information sessions

Residents, landholders, businesses and community members across the Western Downs and Maranoa are invited to attend one of two free public information forums in early September to discuss potential oil and gas exploration in the region…Read More

Beef Central, 13/08/2026

Markets

Charters Towers 12 August 2026: Larger yarding meets easier market

Numbers lifted by more than 700 head at Charters Towers, where strong competition for selected feeder lines contrasted with softer prices for heavy cows, bullocks and bulls…Read More

Beef Central, 13/08/2026

Markets

Dalby sale 12 August 2026: Numbers drop by 3000 after last week’s price correction

Beef Central, 13/08/2026

Property

Weekly property review: Recently completed sales

Property editor Linda Rowley, 12/08/2026

Property

Movement at the Station: Recent property listings in Qld

Property editor Linda Rowley, 12/08/2026

Property

Recent property listings in NSW and South Australia

Property editor Linda Rowley, 12/08/2026

News

$5 cattle levy could face major shake-up

James Nason, 12/08/2026

News

From the killfloor at Oakey meatworks to champion Wagyu producer + VIDEO

Eric Barker, 12/08/2026

Industry Dashboard

Carbon Trading Market

Aust. Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) - $/tonne of CO2 equiv.

Today

38.70

Source: Jarden

$A / $US

Updated 7am daily

Today

0.7063

Source: NAB

ASX Market Index

14 Aug 2026 (updated 10am daily)

Company	Price	Trending
Elders	$8.96
Australian Agricultural Co	$1.52
Graincorp	$7.29
Ridley	$2.12
Woolworths	$36.64
Wellard	$0.06

Source: ASX

Beef Kill

Eastern States, weekly

Last Week

142624

Source: MLA's NLRS

EYCI

Eastern Young Cattle Indicator, c/kg

Today

914.2

Source: MLA's NLRS

90CL Cow

Imported 90CL cow beef price. Landed US, Ac/kg CIF

Today

1068

Source: Steiner Consulting, MLA

Live Export

Live export feeder steer prices ex Darwin (c/kg liveweight)

Today

440

Source: Trade contacts

SOI

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)

Today

-27.88

Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Feeder Steer

NLRS-reported yards (feedlot buyers only); 0-600kg, 0-2T, c/kg LW

Today

482

Source: Feeder Steer

What readers are saying

Opinion: The other side of the trade

Jessie We been talking about it for 30 years. Every now and then it dawns on another generation. Great that you’ve seen a bit of it and can keep that....

Dick Slaney

Should the red meat industry be more proactive about the value of immigration?

As a significant organization involved in the training and recruitment of a large number of smart, young, educated and highly motivated young Vietnamese workers from our three training abattoirs....

Neil Barrie

Could a percentage-based cattle levy deliver a fairer outcome?

As we all have the option of which sector of the beef industry we wish to partake in, I believe that a flat rate is the most equitable. When we....

Steve Taylor

Should cattle producers be able to redirect levy spending?

The answer to the above question l believe is ‘yes’. May I also suggest that the current roadshow of the Levies review committee has not been adequately promoted. As....

Sandy Maconochie

McDonald’s Aussie beef requirements topped 89,000t in 2025

Jon Condon, 13/08/2026

Podcast: Behind the JBS Indonesia deal | Levy shake-up | The two W’s driving the market

In this episode: Rabobank’s Stefan Vogel talks about the cattle market outlook; Jon Condon unpacks to JBS/Indonesia deal and; Will Evans gives an update on the levy review…Read More

Eric Barker and Lydia Burton, 13/08/2026

Landholders invited to Taroom Trough information sessions

Beef Central, 13/08/2026

$5 cattle levy could face major shake-up

One month into a nationwide series of producer meetings, some clear messages are emerging about the future of the cattle transaction levy, with major reform for the first time in two decades potentially on the table…Read More

James Nason, 12/08/2026

Markets

Charters Towers 12 August 2026: Larger yarding meets easier market

Numbers lifted by more than 700 head at Charters Towers, where strong competition for selected feeder lines contrasted with softer prices for heavy cows, bullocks and bulls…Read More

Beef Central, 13/08/2026

Dalby sale 12 August 2026: Numbers drop by 3000 after last week’s price correction

Following the widespread reduction in prices at the previous sale numbers at Dalby eased by close to 3000 head to 5132, with the cow component down to 1267 head. Heavy score 3 cows averaged 366c and the best of the cows made to 388c to average 382c/kg…Read More

Beef Central, 13/08/2026

Roma sale 11 August 2026: Yarding drops to 7831 head

All the regular buyers were in attendance, operating in a mixed quality market. Despite the presence of a southern interstate restocker, local buyers dominated purchasing activity on light weight cattle…Read More

Beef Central, 12/08/2026

Gunnedah 11 August 2026: Heavier cattle improve, while all other descriptions cheaper

Gunnedah yarded 1550 this morning, down 730. The market saw the few prime heavier weight cattle offered improve, while most other grades were cheaper…Read More

Beef Central, 11/08/2026

Lydia Burton, 05/08/2026

Qld Government to adopt recommendations from cattle tick review

The Queensland Government has announced changes to the state’s cattle tick management system for the first time in 10 years, following a review into an outbreak in the state’s tick-free zone earlier this year…Read More

Lydia Burton, 29/07/2026

Latest gross margin figures show encouraging signs for most NSW beef producers

New beef gross margin budget calculations show that returns from all NSW beef enterprises have improved since July 2025, driven by rising cattle prices and strong performance in the feedlot sector. ..Read More

Beef Central, 23/07/2026

Processing

AI-powered manufacturing pilot delivers early wins for Kilcoy Global Foods

A research pilot project using digital twins and generative AI to identify, diagnose and resolve beef production issues in real time has delivered strong early results for Queensland beef processor Kilcoy Global Foods…Read More

Beef Central, 12/08/2026

Weekly kill: Qld grids slip another 20c/kg, as processors wrestle to align meat and livestock prices

Queensland direct consignment slaughter grids have fallen another 20c/kg over the past week, as export processors struggle to bring livestock prices and red meat returns into closer alignment.
Tough export meat trading conditions are the big driver of price falls of 80c/kg over the past eight weeks. ..Read More

Jon Condon, 11/08/2026

Red meat processor costs to operate under the microscope, compared with competitors in the US, Brazil and NZ

Australian red meat processing costs continue to rise and remain higher than key international competitors in New Zealand, the US and Brazil, new research shows…Read More

Jon Condon, 06/08/2026

Should the red meat industry be more proactive about the value of immigration?

The current debate around immigration in Australia and how it could impact visa programs agriculture relies on, has been a popular topic of conversation at industry events…Read More

Lydia Burton, 05/08/2026

Lotfeeding

Vote for the feedlot industry’s best innovation

Vote for the best innovation in the feedlot industry through the ALFA Innovation Competition, which celebrates the clever ideas and innovations that are incorporated into day-to-day feedlot operations…Read More

Beef Central, 12/08/2026

Feedgrain Focus: Contrasting seasons see spreads widen

Troubled yield prospects for northern crops and bumper ones in the south have widened the market’s spread this week as the Mallee prepares to make an early start on hay…Read More

Liz Wells, 10/08/2026

Should the red meat industry be more proactive about the value of immigration?

The current debate around immigration in Australia and how it could impact visa programs agriculture relies on, has been a popular topic of conversation at industry events…Read More

Lydia Burton, 05/08/2026

Feeder cattle market: Downward pressure on all fronts, rain in the forecast

Feeder cattle grids are down across the board this week as frosts kick-in, numbers continue to flow out of the north, and export meat price trends start to add pressure…Read More

Eric Barker, 03/08/2026

Live Export

What’s in store for the live cattle trade for the rest of 2026?

James Nason, 13/08/2026

Opinion: The other side of the trade

A recent visit to Indonesia showed Jessie Daniels what the live cattle trade means at the other end of the northern cattle supply chain…Read More

Jessie Daniels , 13/08/2026

Opinion: Over-charged, over-regulated and over it

The Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO) damning audit of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF) biosecurity cost recovery program has severely eroded industry confidence in the department’s ability to deliver a fair, transparent and credible outcome through its current review of export cost recovery arrangements…Read More

ALEC CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton, 11/08/2026

Higher cattle prices and weaker rupiah weigh on first-half live exports

Australian cattle exports fell almost 30 percent in the first half of 2026, with an earlier Lebaran, higher cattle prices, rising input costs and a weak Indonesian rupiah combining to impact trade volumes to Australia’s largest live export market…Read More

James Nason, 30/07/2026

Trade

Export cow beef prices continue to deteriorate, as trade winds blow

Prices for Australian export lean beef trimmings and cow beef used for burgers, tacos and other popular ground beef items have continued to deteriorate, as global beef trading conditions adjust to recent tariff headwinds…Read More

Jon Condon, 28/07/2026

Booming slow-cook BBQ movement explores fusion, secondary cuts

Some of the world’s most acclaimed competition BBQ chefs gathered in Brisbane for a Low & Slow BBQ festival on the weekend, attracting around 8000 meat-loving patrons. The talent on hand provided the perfect opportunity to get a handle on where the American BBQ movement is heading and what’s new…Read More

Jon Condon, 14/07/2026

Manufacturing meat markets under pressure, as Brazilian challenge mounts

There’s plenty of evidence of ‘tougher going’ on the export beef sales front as the new financial year unfolds – especially at the manufacturing meat end…Read More

Jon Condon, 10/07/2026

Aussie beef takes centre stage with Soccer World Cup TV coverage

Millions of people have had a taste of Aussie beef during the FIFA World Cup, with an Australian Beef ad campaign by MLA scoring goals across SBS’s coverage…Read More

Beef Central, 09/07/2026

Genetics

Cattle producers set to gain from targeted genetics tech investment

The QLD Government has invested $2 million in a Brisbane-based cattle breeding technology startup through its Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund. The investment in embryo transfer technology company Nbryo will enable the company to expand its technology to improve access to superior livestock genetics, reducing production costs and improving productivity for beef producers…Read More

Beef Central, 11/08/2026

Unreleased CSIRO report proposed a hybrid livestock gene bank model

A CSIRO report completed four years ago recommended Australia establish a livestock gene bank as insurance against the impact of exotic disease incursions or natural disasters…Read More

Terry Sim, 12/08/2026

Weekly genetics review: What does a sale catalogue really tell you about bull fertility?

If a reference sample of bull sale catalogues is any indication, there’s wide variation in what fertility information they provide, raising questions about what buyers need to understand about the tests and individual results provided by bull breeders…Read More

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner, 11/08/2026