A strong El Niño is in place. Now what?

Young black and red cattle in a Queensland paddock, with a chart of 2026 cattle prices in cents per kg carcase weight. Young cattle (EYCI) reached about 1000c in June, July and early September, eased to 918c on 9 October, then went back over 1000c on 23 October after rain. Southern Queensland heavy grass ox grids rose from about 750c in late August to 840c on 20 October.

This El Niño could be the strongest on record, but a lot of Queensland has just had a good drink. In 2023 the fear hit cattle prices harder than the weather did. Here’s how to plan this time.