A big feed
June 2024 cattle on feed update
The Australian Lot Feeders Association (ALFA) quarterly cattle on feed report was released last week and it shows a new record for numbers of cattle on feed in Australia.
Feedlot numbers increased by nearly 5% over the second quarter of 2024 to see 1.418 million head held in the nation’s feedlot system. Queensland feedlot’s saw a 6.4% increase in cattle numbers to 853,439 head, representing 60% of the total number of cattle on feed in Australia. Notable increases were also cited in SA – up 7.1%, NSW – up 5.4% and Victoria – up 3.2%. Meanwhile WA saw a 17% fall in feedlot numbers over Q2, 2024.
Feedlot capacity also grew by nearly 3% to hit a record capacity of 1.64 million head for the nation. A larger proportional increase in cattle on feed versus capacity saw the national feedlot utilisation ratio increase from 85% in Q1 to 87% in Q2.
Compared to Q2, 2023 the current feedlot volumes are sitting nearly 13% higher and the seasonal average pattern over each quarter for the last five years shows that current numbers of cattle on feed are 23% higher than the second quarter seasonal average levels.
Reduced cattle turnoff over quarter two, with marketings down by 3.6% from 761,550 in Q1 to 734,096 in Q2, has supported the growth in total numbers of cattle on feed. While turnoff has reduced over the first half of 2024 a comparison to the five-year average seasonal pattern for cattle feedlot marketings shows that the current turnoff levels are still sitting nearly 4% above the average trend.
Meanwhile, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) cattle slaughter data for the first half of 2024 shows that a total of 3.94 million head of cattle have been processed, of which 2.44 million head were grass finished and 1.49 million head were grain finished. This reflects a grain finished cattle turnoff ratio of 38% for 2024, up from 37.5% in 2023.
Despite the record volumes of cattle on feed this year the proportion of grain fed turnoff of 38% of total cattle slaughtered is still well down on the peak of 46.9% grain fed turnoff ratio seen during 2022.
