The Week in Beef

As Australia lives up to its reputation of being a land of extremes, the Week in Beef team takes a look at what the extreme weather is doing to the cattle industry. Victoria is currently on alert for more bushfires, a heatwave has hit New South Wales and Southern Queensland the Gilbert River in North Qld is preparing for a major flood. Plus: James Nason talks about how the Indonesian Government’s...

This week’s podcast episode goes from weaner sales in the south, to disease outbreaks in Indonesia and over to the meat judging competitions in the United States. With good seasons in parts of Victoria, producers appear to be looking to restock with a surprising on heifers. The team from the Week in Beef catches up with: Hamilton-based TDC agent Guy Robertson to discuss the trends of the Western D...

In the first episode of 2026, the Week in Beef takes a deep dive into the natural disasters that are having an impact across the eastern seaboard. Fires have been wreaking havoc in Victoria, while North West Queensland producers are bracing for more rain after devastating flooding. In this episode: Sheep Central editor Terry Sim gives an update on the bushfires and seasonal conditions in Victoria....

In its inaugural year of recording, the Week in Beef has decided to take a look back at the trends that defined 2025 and what they mean for the year ahead. With Beef Central publishers Jon Condon and James Nason, the Week in Beef unpacks the top five trends of 2025 – including: The Goldilocks year – at the start of the year Jon Condon said a rare phenomenon called the “Goldilocks year” was shaping...

Auctineers have continued their busy finish to 2025, with the national yarding figures heading well above the average for the fifth week in a row. The past two weeks have seen the national yarding go above 100,000 head, something that has only happened three times this year. Numbers are still up this week with the yarding on 77,000 – with some big sales to come. Also on the Week in Beef: Animal ac...

AS a recent decision to change Federal environmental law creates uncertainty and concern among cattle producers, debate has emerged about how the industry can better advocate for itself. The news of Labor’s deal with the Greens broke in the middle of the Livexchange conference in Perth – where a recent decision to phase out live sheep exports had many concerned for the future. In this episode of t...

Auctioneers across the eastern seaboard have been busy this week as saleyards fill up on the back of cattle prices hitting their highest point this year. GDL principal Peter Daniel joins the Week in Beef podcast to discuss what is driving it and whether the market can hold up under the weight of numbers. Plus: Beef Central publisher Jon Condon dissects the changes in the tariff regime from US Dona...

Gunnedah farmer and Australian army veteran Tim Lee showed boundless depths of courage when he stepped up to the microphone and shared a deeply personal story in front of 250 people at the Young Beef Producers Forum in Roma last week. He then caught up with Beef Central's James Nason to share his story for the Week in Beef podcast.

Another large-scale Australian feedlot has hit the market this week, making it the fifth of its kind to go up for sale recent months. Smithfield Cattle Company today announced it was testing the market with its feedlot at Proston in the South-Burnett region of Queensland. Smithfield’s announcement follows a similar move from Mort & Co, which has put the Pinegrove and Yarranbrook feedlots on th...

The Beef Central team has hit the road this week for some of the beef industry’s premiere get togethers. Cattle Australia’s Cattle Connect is embedding itself as the national beef industry get together and Roma Young Beef Producers’ Forum continues its popularity in its 21st year. Plus: Sports dietician Peta Carige tells us how science is backing a push to have beef in a healthy diet Young Beef Pr...

Feedlot capacity is continuing to surge in Australia, with pen space to support hundreds-of-thousands of cattle either recently come online or currently under construction. Beef Central has been on the phones trying to find who is behind the current expansions and this episode the Week in Beef will explore some of the learnings from the exercise. Also on the show: Beef Central publisher Jon Condon...

More feedlot news has emerged this week, with one of Australia’s largest lotfeeders announcing plans to sell two of its feedlots. Mort & Co has officially listed Yarranbrook and Pinegrove feedlots, along with the license for its proposed Gogango feedlot in Central Queensland. Beef Central publisher Jon Condon gives an insight into how that listing emerged. Also, on the Week in Beef: Meat &...

The Week in Beef team this week look into Australia’s largest ever feedlot transaction, the legacy of the sellers and how it fits in with the buyers. Japanese-owned Rangers Valley was purchased by Stanbroke last week for what is believed to be $400m. The property has a feedlot, beef brands and extensive farming and grazing country. Plus: Meat & Livestock Australia managing director Michael Cro...

THE dynamics of Australia’s cattle market have shifted quickly in recent weeks, from big shifts of cattle into southern feedlots, a bit of rain in Queensland and more permits issued for live export ships. In this episode of the Week in Beef, the Beef Central team give a quick wrap up of markets across the country. Plus: Why one feedlot operator has offered $250,000 for an operations manager. Rimfi...

A Lack of detail being provided by the Federal agriculture department on the impact of the Government’s net zero emissions by 2050 target was the source of frustration in this week’s Senate Estimates hearings. Nationals’ senator Matt Canavan led the charge, with a series of questions about how much land was going to be taken up by tree plantings. Read this week’s article for more information: http...

Following a trip through Western Queensland watching the dozens of trucks transporting cattle through the area, the Week in Beef gives an insight into the newest display at the Longreach Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Alongside the induction of Beef Central’s Jon Condon and ABC Landline’s Peter Lewis into the Rural Press Club Hall of Fame, a display was unveiled for late industry leader Zanda McDonald w...

The slow but relentless build of paperwork Australian cattle producers are required to do has been creating plenty of frustration, with Australia allowing the import of beef from the United States and Europe trying to implement a ban on goods linked to deforestation. Central Queensland producers, lotfeeder and processor Josie Angus has been raising concerns about the amount of compliance the indus...

Australia's growing lotfeeding sector has gathered in Toowoomba this week to help support the future of the sector. The Future Feeders’ Network was set up earlier this year, with its conference opening the event yesterday and a research focused day taking over today. In this episode of the Week in Beef: Future Feeders Network chair and Condabri procurement manager Tim Mitchell talks lotfeeding car...

FOLLOWING a trip to Mount Surprise in North Queensland, this week’s podcast follows the livestock transport industry’s call for producers to up their standards with cattle loading. In a showcase of what can be done, former producer and livestock transporter John Lethbridge has used his retirement to create the perfect loading ramp. In this episode: John Lethbridge explains how the ramp works and h...

Feeder cattle prices have continued their momentum this week, with the Darling Downs flatback feeder steer price reducing the 100c premium for Angus steers. In this episode of The Week in Beef, we discuss how grids have risen this week, what that means for feedlot margins and why the numbers are lining up for lighter cattle to enter the feedlot. Plus: What will it take to get more Australian super...

YOUNG cattle prices are continuing to rise at the saleyards, with the benchmark Eastern Young Cattle Indicator crossing 900c/kg for the first time since 2022. In this week’s episode of the Week in Beef, we look at how the situation has changed from a mass sell-off of cattle from Victoria and South Australia at the start of the year to producers getting back in the market and pushing prices up. Ray...

From plans to give every school student in Indonesia a free lunch, to a proliferation of high marbling beef brands, this episode of the Week in Beef shows the diversity of markets the Australian beef industry services. The Australian live export industry is still trying to navigate the agenda of the new Indonesian Government, who has done away with beef quota and given plenty of signals that Austr...

From cattle in Brisbane to cotton in some of the most remote parts of Australia, this week’s episode of the Week in Beef is covering issues from across the country. Debate has erupted about how much of Queensland’s Ekka cattle show should be put in front the crowds, with concerns raised about the show starting after the cattle have gone. Plus: AAM managing director Garry Edwards talks about his pl...

AS the beef industry descends on the Queensland capital this week, there was a sense of optimism among the crowd with a feeling that industry was going through one of those rare times where most ends of the supply chain were making money. The Week in Beef podcast was there to capture the action on Ekka Beef week, including: Rabobank analyst Angus Gidley-Baird on where the current rising market mig...

While a decision to loosen restrictions on United States beef imports has dominated headlines, this week’s episode of the Week in Beef delves further into some of the other issues impacting the beef industry. Saleyard prices have reached their highest point in three years and processors are prioritising quantity over quality as they try to service the growing demand for ground beef in the US. And:...