Raw Beef Monthly Update (Australia) 2025-12

The Emerald cattle sale on February 27 experienced a slightly stronger market, supported by beneficial January rains that improved feed conditions. Charbray weaner steers from Kerry and Cathy Truloff averaged 541 cents per kilogram at 295 kg, with top pens reaching 544c/kg, reflecting favorable returns despite cautious buyer behavior due to calf weights. Overall, the yarding of 2200 head was described as fair quality, with prices trending higher across most categories, including prime bullocks, steers, and heifers. Store cattle saw notable gains, particularly in second-rate steers and feeder steers, supported by strong buyer competition. The good season enabled many cattle to return to paddocks within a 400 km radius, maintaining steady demand in the Central Queensland backgrounding market.

Animal welfare was the primary focus at the Queensland Country Meat Processors Association's Young Guns conference held on February 26, where around 40 meat industry professionals gathered to discuss regulatory compliance and best practices. Michael Patching from Impetus Animal Welfare highlighted that while processors generally maintain good animal welfare standards, the issue remains a significant business risk. Attendees toured Jimbour Beef and Bacon's new 2025 facility, capable of processing over 900 pigs and 150 cattle daily, and planned visits to Oakey Beef Exports and a Downs feedlot. The three-day event also included practical sessions aimed at enhancing animal welfare knowledge among the next generation of rural processors.

American beef has officially re-entered the Australian market for the first time in over two decades, following clearance by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in July 2025. The US Embassy celebrated this milestone with a high-profile dinner showcasing premium USDA choice cuts, emphasizing that imports will focus on high-quality, niche products unlikely to disrupt the domestic beef industry. Despite this, social media reactions reveal strong consumer resistance, with many Australians expressing a preference for local beef due to taste and national pride. Industry experts suggest that imported US beef will compete primarily on price rather than quality, and its commercial success will depend on major retailers like Coles and Woolworths choosing to stock these products. Overall, Australian beef remains favored for its natural flavor and established market dominance.

Ken Stone's family-owned Passchendaele property in Chahpingah, Queensland, has realized all its agri-food production goals set two decades ago, focusing on pasture improvement and cattle breeding. The 1553-hectare farm runs a Belmont Red breeding herd optimized for local conditions, shifting from previous breeds like Herefords and Droughtmasters to enhance hybrid vigor and feed efficiency. Since 1994, the Stones have invested heavily in fencing, dam development, and pasture diversification, including leucaena planting, to improve sustainability and productivity. They also collaborate with animal nutritionist Nathan Lister to implement advanced cattle supplementation strategies, including probiotics for gut health. The farm turns off weaners through Dalby Saleyards and maintains a carrying capacity of one beast per four hectares. After 105 years in the family, Ken Stone plans to sell the property due to health reasons but reflects on a fulfilling career marked by continuous learning and adaptation in cattle production.

Elders has agreed to sell its Killara feedlot on the NSW Liverpool Plains to Australian Meat Group (AMG) for approximately $196 million. The 1400-hectare facility, which carries about 62,000 cattle and operates both grain-fed and pasture-based beef production, contributed $12.1 million to Elders' underlying earnings before interest and tax in the last financial year. The sale, pending regulatory approvals, aligns with Elders' strategy to reduce debt and enhance balance sheet flexibility following its recent $475 million acquisition of Delta Agribusiness. AMG, which operates meat processing sites in NSW and Victoria, views Killara as a strategic asset to expand its premium beef supply capabilities. Elders expects the transaction to have less than a one percent annualized impact on earnings per share while enabling continued growth for the feedlot under AMG's ownership.

Over the past three years, Australian grain and cropping farmers have seen average annual farm cash incomes reach nearly $926,000, significantly outpacing other agricultural sectors despite recent declines in grain market returns. Dairy farming incomes have also nearly doubled to around $400,000, driven by record milk prices and improved seasonal conditions. Livestock sectors, while central to production value and export growth, have experienced mixed income results due to volatile prices and challenging seasons, with specialist sheep producers facing the lowest incomes. Agricultural production value surpassed $100 billion last financial year, boosted by a 45% increase in livestock prices and strong export demand, particularly for meat and live animals. Productivity in cropping has grown steadily at 1.6% annually since 1977-78, contributing to agriculture's robust export growth, with grain exports expanding 9% annually and canola exports overtaking cereals in volume. The sector's adaptability to market and climate challenges underpins its strong position in global trade, with China and the US remaining key export markets.

Australian cropping farmers have seen average annual farm cash incomes soar to nearly $926,000 over the past three years, nearly doubling the previous decade's average, driven by strong prices and favorable seasonal conditions in 2022-23. While livestock industries remain central to agricultural production value, croppers now lead in farm incomes, with dairy farmers also significantly improving earnings to nearly $400,000 annually due to record milk prices. Despite recent declines in sheep producer incomes caused by price drops and poor seasons, meat and live animal exports have grown 23% since 2021, with sheepmeat and beef exports consuming over 77% of production. Grain exports, particularly canola and pulses, have surged, making grain the fastest-growing farm export commodity at 9% annual growth. Overall, Australian agriculture's productivity and export values have increased substantially, with farmgate production exceeding $100 billion last financial year, highlighting the sector's resilience and adaptability to market and climate challenges.

Elkedra Station in the Northern Territory experienced severe flooding with 660 millimetres of rain in 24 hours between February 21 and 22, devastating infrastructure and threatening livestock. The absence of a functioning Doppler radar since the decommissioning of the Tennant Creek radar in 2015 left producers relying on inconsistent weather reports, complicating critical real-time decisions such as moving stock and evacuating staff. Despite a $17.9 million replacement radar funded under the Barkly Regional Deal and scheduled for installation in 2021-22, bureaucratic delays and site selection issues have stalled progress for over a decade. Industry leaders emphasize that reliable radar coverage is essential for operational risk management, emergency response, and safeguarding agri-food assets in remote regions. The Bureau of Meteorology continues to provide weather information through other means while working to finalize the radar installation within the next month.

Australia's new mandatory climate-related financial disclosure regime requires large companies and financial institutions to report both direct and Scope 3 emissions, placing agriculture under increased scrutiny as emissions embedded in agricultural products must be disclosed. While farmers face commercial pressures linked to lending, procurement, and export market demands, they are not direct reporting entities, and farm-level data provision remains voluntary. Major retailers like Woolworths and Coles, along with banks such as Westpac and ANZ, emphasize partnership and support for farmers to manage emissions without passing compliance costs directly onto producers. Industry groups and policymakers acknowledge the growing importance of emissions transparency in supply chains, with potential benefits for producers demonstrating lower emissions intensity through preferential contracts and sustainability-linked finance. However, concerns persist that administrative costs may eventually be transferred down the supply chain, increasing the burden on farmers amid ongoing environmental and economic challenges.

Facing low rainfall and high kangaroo pressure in Southern Downs, Kelly Akers and her family have adopted a slow-growth strategy for their Hereford-Charolais cross cattle, allowing them to mature naturally over two to two and a half years to about 500 kilograms live weight. Attempts at pasture regeneration using multispecies mixes were unsuccessful due to kangaroo grazing, leading the family to focus on sustainable cattle breeding and feeding lentil pellets during dry periods. The region's dry summer and cyclical kangaroo population challenges have further influenced herd management, with recovery from the 2020 drought ongoing but showing resilience in adapted stock.