RECORD prices have flowed through to the highest ever profit generated for southern livestock operations in 25 years but managing costs and boosting productivity remain the cornerstone of prosperity in both beef and lamb.
AUSTRALIAN beef’s supremacy in food service channels appears to have been a key factor in keeping exports ticking over during some of the toughest pandemic times last year.
The just-released December red meat export figures from the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment show beef shipments did lift slightly in the last month to see the annual total for last year sit at 887,679 tonnes shipping weight.
But it poses the serious question what makes a good stock and station, who are certainly a breed of their own.
Whether the sheepmeat sector is in the grips of a supercycle or simply reflecting some key demand fundamentals is probably not weighing too heavily on the minds of producers.
FROM weaners and in-calf heifers to feeder steers and stud bulls, the dizzying heights that cattle prices have commanded could well be creating unease about a pending crash, especially among those who’ve lived through the many peaks and troughs of livestock markets.
CATTLE producers are expected to experience the best spring in recent memory, according to Meat & Livestock Australia’s mid-year Australian Cattle Industry Projections.
MLA’s Market Information Manager, Stephen Bignell, said the outlook was encouraging with a positive spring expected for many eastern states’ producers.
PROCESSORS claim they’re not making any money from cattle due to the sky-high prices. However, the money being paid for prime heavy steers in NSW saleyards and over-the-hooks continues to climb.
Over-the-hooks rates for a 300 to 400 kilogram (carcase weight) steer topped at 715c/kg (cwt) this week, while the average was 703c/kg, according to Meat and Livestock Australia’s reporting.
Emerging markets in North America and Korea are signalling an undeniable appetite for Australian lamb as consumption trends continue to grow for what was traditionally looked upon as a niche product.
And according to the latest Meat and Livestock Australia figures sheepmeat exports to both Korea and North America are experiencing a healthy growth despite the COVID outbreak.
Above average July to September rainfall for most of Australia
Rainfall for July to September is likely to be above average for most of Australia (chance of exceeding median is greater than 60%), with most of the eastern three-quarters showing a greater than 80% chance. Parts of western WA, southern Victoria and western Tasmania have roughly equal chances of above or below average rainfall (chance of exceeding the median is close to 50%).
WITH in-principle agreement now in place liberalising Australian beef and sheep meat access to the United Kingdom over a ten-year transition period, attention is turning to whether exporters will see immediate value in directing more product to the Brits.