Forget breed passion, home-town patriotism and State of Origin footy.
The one argument in the cattle business that garners the most intense fervour and that will probably never be solved is: What is the Real Beef Capital of Australia?
Even a united disgust for plant-based burger patties can not bridge the gap between two people at Beef Australia arguing over the place most worthy of that title.
More than one town has claimed it, many more have a good case to claim it. Even those who don't believe they reside in it won't keep quiet when the question is raised.
In the lead-up to Beef Australia 2024, we've asked everyone we know in beef the question and came to the conclusion the answer depends on what criteria one judges a Beef Capital by.
Here are a few worthy criteria.
Stay tuned for plenty more, plus opinions from some well-known beef people on where the crown should sit.
Most head of cattle
If it is sheer numbers of cattle that determine what the capital is, the latest livestock distribution maps produced by Meat & Livestock Australia show the Fitzroy Basin in Queensland comes out king.
The maps draw on Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
The Fitzroy, which incorporates towns including Rockhampton, Biloela, Theodore, Emerald, Moranbah, Clermont and Nebo, is home to 2.5 million head of cattle.
By comparison, the desert channel country has 1.3m and Western Australia's rangeland country 1.2m.
These are a long way above other regions many people consider synonymous with beef production, such as the Riverina, which has 529,000 head, or Central West NSW at 496,000.
On a state basis, Queensland would be the capital with 10.7m, compared to NSW at 4.4m, Victoria at 3.6m, the Northern Territory at 1.7m, Western Australia at 2.1m and South Australia at 1m.
Most commercial sales
If it is the highest turnover of commercial cattle that delivers the title of Beef Capital, then Queensland's Roma is king.
National Livestock Reporting Service saleyard data for the 2022/23 financial year shows Roma transacted 244,778 head, which equated tor 21.6 per cent of Queensland's turnover.
Dubbo transacted 153,154 head or 12pc of NSW's turnover.
Leongatha sold 127,241 head, 16pc of all of Victoria.
For WA, Muchea was the biggest selling centre and for SA it was Naracoorte.
Or maybe one might consider the Beef Capital to be virtual if you see AuctionsPlus as "Australia's single biggest marketplace selling more livestock than any other in the country," which is how the platform promotes itself.
Best country to produce beef
If it is the most reliable beef-producing country that determines the capital, then the plot thickens.
In terms of stocking rate, the Australian Beef Report from Bush Agribusiness says the 12-year average has the southern coastal region in Queensland as the highest in the north at over 27 adult equivalents per square kilometre, or a dry sheep equivalent per hectare of 2.3.
In the south, it is Tasmania, at 138 AE/square kilometre or just under 12 DSE/ha.
By comparison, Queensland's Eastern Downs country is just under 25 AE/square kilometre and WA's south west coastal country is around 11 DSE/ha
Bush Agribusiness' Ian McLean said what it costs to produce each kilogram should also be considered.
In the north, the NT's Barkly Tablelands performs best at $1.64/kg live weight. Queensland's southern coastal region is over $2.60 on this count.
In the south, WA's central and southern wheatbelt sits under $2, while the highest is NSW coastal country at around the $3.74 mark. The NSW north west slopes and plains is pretty high too at $3.50.
The caveat is this is long-term data and is arguably influenced more by the average scale of producers in each region than the regional productivity, Mr McLean said.
The top 25 per cent of producers have much lower costs of production, he said.
The lowest for top performers in the north is $1.30/kg of beef produced in the Victoria River district of the NT and in the south it is the south east region of South Australia at $1.81.
Anecdotally, agents and consultants seemed to mention South Gippsland in Victoria most when asked what is the most reliable fattening country the nation over, although Walcha in NSW and Pemberton in WA were also named.
As Mr McLean says: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
"Personally I think the southern Gulf region of Queensland would be one of my picks. It's productive country that is reasonably reliable," he said.
"Although Central Australia is powerful country also - low rainfall, low stocking rates but managed well can be very profitable."
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
