Australian Cattle and Beef Market Report

Having been a month since the last market update, this week Ripley Atkinson, Australian Meats & Livestock Manager for StoneX, unpacks the key drivers behind the recent price rally and how it has unfolded across the market. Ripley discusses the early signs emerging from beef producers’ buying behavior that may point to the beginning of a herd rebuild, while also explaining the structural change...

In this episode, Ripley Atkinson, Australian Meats & Livestock Manager at StoneX dives into the April wave of the recently released Beef Producer Intentions Survey (BPIS) reported by Meat & Livestock Australia. Ripley unpacks all the key details and insights the report provides. Sourced directly from Australian producers, the report acknowledges the influence that the Middle East conflict...

A month ago, Ripley Atkinson, Australian Meats & Livestock Manager, suggested that the month of May would be critical to answering critical questions about the markets’ position moving forwards. Now that May is at its end, this episode dives into all the key details of how the month has unfolded for the industry, and importantly – what the key drivers of this immense rally in cattle prices are...

With two key datasets from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for slaughter & production and the MLA/ALFA Feedlot Brief released this week, Ripley dives into all the figures in this episode. Articulating what it all means for the beef industry, where we’re heading and how there’s a distinct structural realignment unfolding towards preferences for grainfed cattle in Australia. Join Ripley as h...

As the beef industry puts the disruptive April month behind it, many questions remain unanswered about market performance domestically and where to next after this latest easing cycle. This week, Ripley Atkinson, StoneX Australian Meats & Livestock Manager, provides his views on those questions. He also breaks down the strength of the year to date beef export results with continued growth year...

Ripley sits down with Patrick Hutchinson, Director of Gibraltar Strategic Advisory, to discuss the major announcements and situations, on an export level, which have affected the beef industry in 2026. This includes the China tariff announcement once its safeguard quota limit is hit, the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement, and tensions in the Middle East. Pat distils how this will influence the bee...

Returning to markets, Ripley explains the key drivers and themes of the beef industry’s current market easing cycle, with producer emotion, cost of fuel and freight, dry to drought conditions, and higher supply all contributing to pressure markets. He then considers where Angus feeder cattle prices could reach in the winter of 2026 and what will be the driver of their strong premiums over crossbre...

This week, Ripley discusses the Brazilian beef industry with Caio Toledo and Victor Novaes – Directors of StoneX Brazil Cattle business Our trio unpack the dynamic layers of the Brazilian beef industry, exploring rapid shifts in domestic to export market shares, the rise of influence from China and the growth in the Brazilian feedlotting sectors. Ripley then considers the influence of the shift in...

This week, Ripley Atkinson sits down with Ryan Turner, StoneX US Regional Director of Meats & Livestock for a deep dive into the current outlook and market conditions for the US beef industry – and what’s to come for 2026. Ripley and Ryan unpack critical topics for Australian listeners, which are key to understanding the key forces operating in an increasingly dynamic, volatile global operatin...

With two key datasets released last week, Ripley dives into the details for the feedlot sector, the broader beef production, the slaughter performance of 2025 and how the year stacked up. Across the board, records were broken and new highs were set for many production metrics, showcasing the strength of the industry. Ripley breaks down all the details and what it means for beef supply chain partic...

Cyclical highs in the 2026 cattle cycle are forecasted for Australia’s beef industry, with herd liquidation, 50- year highs in slaughter and an outlook challenged by local and global headwinds. The StoneX H1 2026 Australian Cattle Market Outlook report breaks down real insights in this episode, giving you full details of the year ahead for the Australian beef industry. © 2026 StoneX Group Inc. all...

A recently released report by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) on the intentions of Australia’s beef producers indicate elevated levels of positivity, alongside broad intentions to either maintain or increase herd numbers and expectations to sell large volumes of cattle in the first half of 2026. With these sentiments, Ripley dives into MLA’s Beef Producer Intentions Survey (BPIS) results this...

Kicking off our first episode of the StoneX Australian Cattle Podcast for 2026, we see weaner sales and strong restocker demand underpinned by rain throughout Central Queensland. Plus, a recap of 2025’s performance for live cattle and boxed beef exports are discussed. The new year has started with challenges, following the announcement of a 55% out of quota tariff from China for beef imports. Ripl...

As we cap off 2025, Ripley Atkinson explores the major talking points of this year – , what has influenced the market, and why and where the big numbers have come from. In this episode, supply, demand, price, production, and export performance are all analyzsed and considered – providinggiving a wholistic view on how the year has performed, as well as and some key pointers on what to to watch out...

New data regarding the Australian feedlot industry highlights how the continued growth in capacity and numbers on feed over the past 5 years is translating into record grain-fed turnoff volumes. Ripley delves into topical questions on the size of the cattle herd and differing views on how these come about. © 2025 StoneX Group Inc. all rights reserved. The subsidiaries of StoneX Group Inc. provide...

Episode Description: “Australian cattle slaughter hits near 50-year highs as beef production records shatter” - that was the latest headline from the ABS slaughter & production data release this week. Yet, a dark cloud may be on the horizon for the beef industry in 2026, as slaughter capacity comes under potential constraints in the face of a large herd. Ripley also discusses how rain continue...

After a dry couple of months, patchy rains across eastern Australia has flipped the mood in cattle markets from cautious to confident. In this episode, we dig into what’s driving the sudden price surge, why feedlot space bookings are vanishing, and how southern regions like SE SA and SW VIC are bouncing back ahead of weaner 2025/26 sales. Plus, we unpack October’s beef export data and what it sign...

In less than a month, market sentiment and pricing has shifted quickly, with seasonal conditions and higher supplies weighing on pricing. Meanwhile, increasing price volatility in the second half of this year continues to highlight the inherent risk carried by the cattle market. © 2025 StoneX Group Inc. all rights reserved. The subsidiaries of StoneX Group Inc. provide financial products and servi...

Ripley took the opportunity to sit down with Philip Smith, Chief Executive of StoneX Group Inc., during his trip to our headquarters in Sydney, Australia. Much is discussed and Philip shares his views on what makes StoneX a unique leader in the marketplace, as well as how our ecosystem and product offerings remain second to none. This is a fantastic episode to understand more about the StoneX busi...

A clear delineation in restocker prices between emerging northern and southern markets has coincided with a potential realisation that the southern spring of 2025 isn’t going to deliver as well as it was likely to a month ago. Whilst the flow and movements of cattle from south to north and north to south for store and slaughter cattle respectively is a unique, rare dynamic. What happens if a south...

A Southern QLD backgrounder and breeder, Tim Clay, General Manager of Dunmore Pastoral, joins us this week, sharing his unique insights & perspective on the market and 2025. Tim discusses how data has influenced his buying decisions this year and the shift that has translated into in terms of profitability, plus how he sees broad positivity in the beef industry for its outlook.

This week, as spring closes in, timely rain and a strong feeder market are sending false signals back to the producer to pay up for restocker cattle. We also look at the substantive influence of the southern feedlots that is forcing the northern markets higher. Plus, we review the key takeaways and details for the first half of 2025 from two key reports for feedlot and processing volumes. © 2025 S...

Ryan Turner, Director of Meats & Livestock (StoneX US), gives a full rundown of how the US market have performed in 2025. We answer all the big questions about the US market and what it all means for the Australian Beef industry. An episode not to miss. © 2025 StoneX Group Inc. all rights reserved. The subsidiaries of StoneX Group Inc. provide financial products and services, including, but no...

Queensland producers, on the back of season-defining March rains, have sold 720,000 head less stock than expected in April for the first half of 2025. Whilst the cow market – driven by intense southern demand – has found another gear, lifting over 45c/kg lwt in this week alone. As producers find themselves in the shadows of Spring and recent rainfall in key supply areas, the market finds itself in...

In this episode, Ripley Atkinson unpacks the StoneX H2 2025 Australian Cattle Market Outlook, offering insights into what’s shaping up to be a strong second half of the year for the beef industry. He covers projected multi-decade highs in slaughter, production, and exports, the drivers behind a rapidly growing national herd, and the strategic opportunity in a southern herd rebuild. On the flip sid...