Daily Ag News - 20 April 2026

Your daily Ag briefing is here: we've curated the ultimate roadmap of upcoming agricultural shows, from LambEx to Sheepvention and beyond. In other news, the BOM and international agencies are now tracking indicators that could trigger a 'Super' El Niño. Read on for the full event list and the latest breakdown of the climate models for 2026.

Ag On Show:

Get out and about to these upcoming Field Days and events across Australia

• Tocal Field Days (Tocal/Hunter Valley, NSW) | May 1–3, 2026 - A diverse event in the Hunter Valley focusing on agricultural education, sustainable practices, and small-scale farming.
• Agfest (Carrick, TAS) | May 7–9, 2026 - Tasmania’s iconic volunteer-run field daysare recognised as one of the best organised in the country.
• Elders FarmFest (Toowoomba, QLD) | June 2–4, 2026 - Queensland's premier primary industry field day, featuring over 1,000 exhibitors on the Darling Downs.
• LambEx 2026 (Adelaide, SA) | July 7–10, 2026 - The premier event for the sheep and wool sector, featuring a heavy producer-led speaker program and global market insights. READ MORE
• Australian Sheep & Wool Show (Bendigo, VIC) | July 17–19, 2026 - The largest show of its type in the world, focused on breed excellence and natural fibres.
• Sheepvention (Hamilton, VIC) | August 2–3, 2026 - A massive event for the "Wool Capital of the World," featuring the Ram Sale, sheep shows, and innovations in farm tech.
• Mallee Machinery Field Days (Speed, VIC) | August 5–6, 2026 - A major regional drawcard focused on broadacre cropping solutions for the Mallee region.
• AgQuip (Gunnedah, NSW) | August 18–20, 2026 - Australia’s largest premier primary industry field days, covering all facets of broadacre farming.
• Dowerin Machinery Field Days (Dowerin, WA) | August 26–27, 2026 - The critical "information highway" for Western Australian grain growers and livestock producers.
• Newdegate Machinery Field Days (Newdegate, WA) | September 2–3, 2026 - A vital event for the Eastern Wheatbelt, known for its extensive display of cropping equipment and livestock.
• Agrotrend (Bundaberg, QLD) | September 11–12, 2026 - A key event for the Wide Bay-Burnett region, highlighting agriculture, livestock, and lifestyle machinery.
• Henty Machinery Field Days (Henty, NSW) | September 22–24, 2026 - A massive agribusiness event focused on the latest in southern NSW farming technology.
• Beef Australia 2027 (Rockhampton, QLD) | May 2–8, 2027 - The flagship event for the global beef industry, showcasing everything from elite genetics to international trade.

Weather:

'Super' El Nino could be on the cards - Major meteorological agencies appear to be in agreement that an El Niño is likely to develop by mid-year, with a significant chance of it becoming a powerful event.

Following a period of La Niña, sea surface temperatures in the central-east Pacific are projected to rise significantly above the long-term average, potentially bringing a strong event as early as this July. For Australian agriculture, this transition signals a looming shift back to hotter, drier conditions. Historically, only a few events have reached this "Super" status, most notably in 1982–83, 1997–98, and 2015–16.

On average, El Niño occurs every 3 to 5 years and La Niña occurs every 3 to 7 years (BOM). The BOM reports that climate models show steady warming toward El Niño thresholds by July, citing a recent surge in subsurface ocean heat. While confidence is high that warming is underway, all agencies caution that they are currently navigating the "Spring Predictability Barrier," and peak intensity forecasts will become significantly more reliable by June.