July 22, 2026
The massive Smithfield Feedlot, near Proston, has been sold for an undisclosed sum.
It has been bought by Peter and Jane Hughes, members of one of Australia’s largest cattle families, in a partnership with Elbow Valley Beef’s Chris Shaw.
The partnership has bought several other properties in Queensland and NSW over the past two years.
The marketing material for the sale described Smithfield as covering about 2140ha and able to house 18,500 head of cattle in 175 large, shaded pens.
The property also has a high-priority water licence from the Tarong pipeline from Boondooma Dam plus access to water from Stuart River.
The feedlot was owned by the Smithfield Cattle Company, a family-run agribusiness which traces its history back to Alf Smith opening a butcher’s shop in the South Burnett in 1928.
The Smithfield Cattle Company also owns the 6000-head ‘Sapphire’ feedlot near Yelarbon in western Queensland which it bought in 2016.
- Related article: Smithfield Feedlot For Sale
