Pastoral Market Insights October 2026

Pastoral property market in 60 seconds

Strong livestock returns supporting confidence

Favourable beef and lamb schedules, combined with stronger export returns, continue to support confidence across the pastoral sector and underpin demand for quality breeding, finishing and mixed farming properties.

Buyer demand remains strong

Demand for quality pastoral properties remains firm, particularly for productive grazing and finishing country. Well-located properties continue to attract strong enquiry from existing farmers, dairy operators and high-net-worth purchasers.

Forestry policy changes reshaping land-use competition

Changes to forestry and ETS settings have eased farm-to-forest competition in many regions, helping stabilise confidence in productive farming assets. However, forestry buyers remain active in selected locations. Land values are increasingly being assessed on productive farming returns and stock carrying capacity rather than carbon potential alone.

Dairy support demand underpinning values

Strong dairy sector profitability continues to support demand for dairy support and grazing properties, particularly those offering reliable pasture production, good infrastructure and scale.

Profitability supporting market activity

Improving farm profitability and strong livestock returns are supporting renewed confidence across the pastoral sector, with existing farming families, equity partnerships and larger operators remaining active buyers. Farm succession confidence is improving, with stronger profitability and targeted lending support helping the next generation progress into farm ownership.

Outlook remains positive

Overall, pastoral sector sentiment remains positive. Strong livestock returns, healthy demand and limited supply continue to support firm values for quality grazing, finishing and mixed farming assets nationwide.