Why these Aussie sheep and cattle farmers say they've never had it so good

A rare position of strength

Australian sheep and cattle producers have rarely had more reason for optimism. The country is the world's dominant lamb exporter, livestock prices are sitting at record highs, and much of the technology reshaping how farms are run is being invented on Australian farms.  
 
That confidence ran through a panel featuring some of the key industry producers at Sheepvention, an annual agricultural show in Hamilton in Victoria's Western District.

Record prices and a widening lead

Kate Crozier sees the boom from both sides. A farmer who also works as an Agribusiness executive for Commonwealth Bank, she watches it play out at the saleyards across cattle and sheep. 

“Livestock prices for Angus steers weighing in at 300 kilos - we're looking at $6.50 a kilo. That's unprecedented," said Crozier. With the United States herd in decline, she says Australia is stepping in to fill the gap. "It's such an exciting time. The drought's gone, and we're now seeing huge commodity prices and massive wins across the board."

The lamb story is just as strong. Australia accounts for about 40% of global lamb exports, just ahead of New Zealand on about 38%, according to Matt Dalgleish, co-founder of Episode 3 and agricultural market analyst who moderated the discussion. By 2032 to 2033, he told the room, Australia's share is projected to climb to about 45% while New Zealand's slips to about 35%.

Mark Inglis, farm assurance and supply chain manager at Thomas Foods International, said New Zealand's flock had shrunk sharply over the past 15 to 20 years, leaving Australia without a serious rival. 

"We're really the only country left in the world that's got a great flock number, and the majority of what we doing gets exported. There's no one else in the world that can supply the product that we currently supply," said Inglis.

"The opportunity, with population growth and more people still requiring protein, really puts the sheep meat industry in a fantastic position going forward," he said.

'Don't listen to the noise'

For Nigel Kerin, who runs livestock business Kerin Ag between Dubbo and Orange in central New South Wales, a clear head is the foundation of a good farm.  
 
“I’ve been in ag for 46 years. I’ve only had one job, and it’s never been better,” he said. 

He is tired of one word in particular. Tough. “Tell me a business that doesn’t have tough periods but it seems to be a word that’s always used in agriculture.” 

His advice was simple. “Stop listening to all the negativity,” he said, adding that “procrastination is the fodder that fuels anxiety.” 

While the farmers are focusing on the positives, they acknowledged commodity price volatility, global conflicts and an unsettled trade picture as factors that weigh on producers.

But clever planning has protected many from the potential negative impacts of issues around fuel, fertiliser, and other economic forces. Kerin shared his approach to recent cash rate increases for example, locking in his interest costs the day before the most recent rise so the direction of rates no longer weighs on him. 
 
"Anything that creates anxiety in your business, nip it in the bud and address it straight away,” he said.

Technology built for Australian farms 

Much of the panel's optimism centred on technology, and how many local innovations are making operations more efficient. 

Jock Lawrence, founder of ag software business, Mobble, said the absence of farm subsidies has forced Australian producers to be smarter to find their margin. "Some of the best agtech is built in Australia," said Lawrence. 
 
"Mobble got started when I went back to the family farm and we wanted to centralise all our farm and livestock records into one place so everyone could see what was happening, make informed decisions and help move the farm forward. Before that, it was all in my dad's head or scattered across notebooks," he said. "Solving a problem on my parents' family farm has grown into a farm data and communication platform helping thousands of farmers around the world."

Lawrence also pointed to New Zealand virtual fencing company Halter, which lets farmers move cattle from a phone and which Lawrence said had recently reached a valuation of around $2 billion. 

What has struck him is the response from farmers. "It's the first time I've ever seen so much positivity around a product with no negativity," he said.

Kerin runs a suite of tech tools on his own place. Soil moisture probes tell him how much water is in the ground, in-paddock scales track how his stock are gaining, and worm egg-count samples are emailed to New Zealand and read by artificial intelligence within the hour. Knowing what his country can grow lets him forward-price stock with confidence.

"If you're a natural adopter of this stuff that costs bugger-all to implement into a livestock business, you’re going to have a hunger for toys that make money for you and help you make decisions,” he said. 
 
Adam Giles, CEO of Hancock Agriculture and S. Kidman & Co agreed, said he sees new technologies as optimisation, not cost-cutting.

"AI is the next stage of human advancement and productivity gains, whatever industry you're in,” he said. "It's about doing things better and smarter." 
 
Record prices, strong global demand, a run of homegrown innovation and good conditions on the ground have all landed at once, making Nigel Kerin’s outlook simple.  
 
"I'm so bullish on the sheep and cattle industries," he said.