AuctionsPlus Cattle Breed Breakdown – How did YOUR Breed Perform in Q3 2022?

AuctionsPlus is Australia’s largest cattle market, with throughput for the past twelve months of 819,463 head (1 October 2021 – 30 September 2022). In the most recent September quarter, AuctionsPlus had 163,838 head offered online, with the widespread rain and extensive flooding impacting producers’ ability to muster and assess.

Following on from the Breed Hoofprint Report released last week, which showcased the “hotspot” of each breed, the AuctionsPlus Insights team has broken down the average prices for the top ten listed breeds in 2022. Breeds included are Angus, Brahman, Brangus, Charbray, Charolais, Droughtmaster, Friesian, Hereford, Santa Gertrudis and Shorthorn.

After an astounding run-up of prices due to substantial and prolonged rainfall over the last two years, quarter three of 2022 registered the first significant decline in average quarterly cattle prices. Predominantly due to the sharp dip in market sentiment caused by exotic disease concerns early in the quarter, prices started to recover into early spring as wet conditions continued.

While varying across breeds and categories, most of the lines for the September quarter averaged from 5% below, to 10% above the same period in 2021.

Four selected breeds and categories are briefly described below. For the full price series across the ten breeds, please click below to download:

Angus Heifers 280-330kg lwt

• In the September quarter of 2022, AuctionsPlus listed Angus heifers weighing 280-330kg lwt averaged $2,128/head – an increase of 8.5% on the same period in 2021.
• Overall, average prices for purebred Angus cattle have eased 5.7% from the previous quarter, while they remain 2.8% higher than the corresponding quarter in 2021.

Droughtmaster Steers 200-280kg lwt

• Droughtmaster steers weighing 200-280kg lwt averaged $1,751/head in the third quarter of 2022 – 12.9% higher than the same period in 2021.
• Across all categories, Droughtmaster prices have fallen from the highs in the first quarter of 2022 but remain level with price levels from the same quarter in 2021.

Hereford PTIC Heifers

• Hereford PTIC heifers averaged $2,442/head in the September quarter of 2022 – well below the previous three quarters but 2.4% above the corresponding quarter in 2021.
• PTIC cows in comparison averaged $2,396/head for the quarter – 3.3% lower than the September quarter in 2021. The premium of PTIC heifers over PTIC cows for the last four quarters highlights the current confidence in the long-term future of the cattle market.

Santa Gertrudis Steers 280-330kg lwt

• Santa Gertrudis steers weighing 280-330kg lwt averaged $1,896/head in the third quarter of 2022 – down 3.5% from the previous quarter but 3.3% above the same quarter in 2021.
• Overall, prices for Santa Gertrudis categories have fallen an average of 15% from the first quarter of 2022. However, they persist at levels 6.9% higher on average than the same quarter in 2021.