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It’s that time of the week when we check in on some key indicators of performance in the livestock markets. The Eastern States Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) softened this week by 40.73c to be 955.65c/kg cwt by Friday morning. It's 19.14c up on the month, and 58.27c higher than the same time last year. The National Young Cattle Indicator (NYCI), which reflects national markets and online transactions, also fell this week, by 22.59c/kg to 510.15c/kg on Friday morning.

Check out this week's rural property report: Century-old Central Queensland cattle enterprise hits the market, Benmara Station sells for $26 million as Maryfield and Limbunya return to market, WA farmland boom stalls as buyers retreat and high country farms sell for almost $1.7 million after strong buyer interest.

Last week, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) released the results of the July 2026 report, for its Beef Producer Intentions Survey (BPIS). This survey represents a short “sense check” on how grassfed beef producers herd intentions, numbers of calves born in Autumn calving herds and sales numbers have adjusted from responses provided in the April 2026 full survey wave.

When fire jumped the boundary at Attica Station two years ago, station manager Brandon Hood-Smith reached for his phone to check on the cattle. "I got on the app with the Ceres Tag data and saw that there was a cow and calf up in the back corner," Mr Hood-Smith said. "So when the fire was coming through, I went up there and I found them, and I walked them back down while everyone else was on the grader getting fire breaks in.

Recent weeks have seen a significant milestone hit for those who like looking at cattle price data. The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) and the Frozen Cow 90CL Export Beef Indicator have reached parity. If nothing else, it means resistance to higher prices is coming.

Check out this week's rural property report: Seasonal uncertainty puts rural property buyers on alert, Borrona Downs sells for $23.75 million after online auction, CPC expands Territory footprint with $47.4 million Vermelha Station purchase, Yorke Peninsula cropping powerhouse offered for sale and premium Riverland stone fruit enterprise hits the market.

Narelle Zanker's heart has always belonged to her herd of dairy cows. As a shy kid growing up on her family's 4000-acre mixed farm near Mannum, on the Murray River in South Australia, she felt most at home in the milking shed. While later working as an agriculture teacher, Ms Zanker loved bringing her students back to the farm to show them exactly how dinner gets on the table.

Australian beef exports felt the effects of tariffs in August, but sustained demand from the United States and strong domestic supply kept volumes at historically high levels. Two of the top four markets for Australian beef have slowed in recent months, however year-to-date export levels are still sitting in record territory.

The Australian sheep flock has moved into rebuild territory, but the cattle herd is telling a very different story. The latest female slaughter ratio, or FSR, moved higher again during the June quarter, suggesting that producers are still turning off breeding females at a rate that is inconsistent with a meaningful national herd rebuild. The quarterly FSR increased from 53.1% in Q1 to 55% in Q2, while the annual measure has climbed to around 54%.

US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders aimed at helping cattle ‌ranchers protect their herds from wolves, expand meat processing and move toward country-of-origin labelling, as his administration seeks to bring down record-high beef prices.The orders include measures ‌allowing ranchers to protect their herds from grey wolves and making it easier for farmers and ranchers to process and sell food from their own operations, Trump said during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office.