The cattle market was strong this week with all indicators up except for the cow category. Robust buyer activity aligned with good quality yardings, contributing to the lift.

Rainfall along the east coast improved producer sentiment, resulting in a 7% decline in national cattle yardings to 58,162 head. Yardings are now 27% below the 80,278 head seen in mid-October. Victoria recorded the sharpest week-on-week (WoW) decline, falling 32%, followed by Queensland (-11%) and WA (-5%). In contrast, NSW increased 12% after a low yarding the previous week.

The cattle market is green across the board with the Restocker Yearling Steer Indicator lifting the most – up 22¢ to 468¢/kg liveweight (lwt) and the Feeder Heifer Indicator up 17¢ to 414¢/kg lwt. Cattle yardings eased by 8,223 to 59,994 head.

National cattle yardings fell 24% to 60,760 head. Victoria posted the sharpest decline (-38%), followed by NSW (-22%), and Queensland (-16%). The supply ease followed the strong 80,278 head of the previous week, which was the highest yarding since May.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) analysts started investigating the new season lamb supply halfway through spring.

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All cattle indicators eased, with the Dairy Cow Indicator decreasing significantly – down 24¢ to 318¢/kg liveweight (lwt). Cattle yardings lifted by 1,314 to 68,351 head, with dips in yardings for the Dairy Cow Indicator and Restocker Yearling Heifer Indicator.

National cattle yardings declined 21% week-on-week (WoW) to 58,894 head − largely due to Monday’s public holiday affecting saleyard operations in NSW, QLD and SA. The closures of markets in Forbes, Tamworth and Wagga contributed to yarding declines in NSW (-37%) and Queensland (-16%).

The market remains steady, with no large swings across indicators. Cattle yardings eased 11% for 69,210 head over the week. Reductions were seen across all states, bar NSW. Queensland, Victoria, and WA all saw reductions between 12%−25%.