Jeff House, Feedlot Techncial Services Officer, is available to provide advice and assistance to all existing feedlots, as well as anyone looking to develop a feedlot or going through the feedlot establishment process, at no cost. Please contact Jeff with any enquiries you may have on 0419 262 207 or email via the button below.

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Jeff is contracted to ALFA to deliver technical services to the lotfeeding industry. The role is jointly funded through ALFA and MLA, and has been created to deliver information, education, training and technical services to improve management practices among cattle lot feeders throughout Australia.

Developed by ALFA and MLA, the aim of the best management practice guide is to provide a concise handbook and reference document for feedlot operators and their employees to promote improved management practices in the Australian feedlot industry.

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The handbook is a tool to assist feedlot operators in identifying outcomes and key operational procedures for best practice standards in alignment with the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme (NFAS). The handbook can be used to assist in the development of in-house procedures to best practice levels and to demonstrate the continual improvement of feedlot operations over time.

This guide has been developed by ALFA to support lot feeders in not only assessing the risks associated with heatload but also support the decision-making process in relation to management practices. With the BoM predicting a la nina for the coming season, it is important to remain vigilant and ensure heatload management plans are fit for purpose.

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ALFA's Managing Summer Heat online training program is available for free on Feedlot TECH and includes access to eight eLearning videos that can be viewed at a time convenient, covering the following topics:
•    HLI/AHLU demo & how to undertake a Risk Assessment
•    Shade Structures
•    Pre-Summer Preparation
•    Triggers & Actions
•    Recovery
•    Summer Review
•    Weather Stations

The Clean cattle manual has been developed by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), in consultation with Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA), to provide up-to-date information on management of dags for small, medium and large feedlots.
The manual includes case studies which demonstrate how different management practices have been successfully implemented to further assist feedlot managers and staff to make decisions that suit their operation’s specific needs.

A handy document providing links to information and tools available to improve pen management in less-than-ideal conditions.

Wet harvests can create a challenge for feedlot operations. Feedlots can often be offered grain that would normally be directed to higher quality markets (bread and noodle wheat, malt barley), but become unsuitable due to weather damage. This downgraded grain can appear attractive due to discounting. Or alternatively, the feedlot is expected to make use of weather damaged grain that is harvested from associated farms.

A guide for feedlot owners and managers to provide feedlot enterprises with guidelines for continual improvement in feedlot activities. Use this checklist to prepare your facility for exceeding the outcomes and minimum standards required in the NFAS.

Use this guide when considering factors and evaluating the benefits of alternative feedstuffs, particularly in times of drought.

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Advice for feedlot owners, managers and employees on what to do if you find someone illegally trespassing on your property.

A guide for feedlot owners and managers to run through each best practice checklist to prepare your facility and manage activist intrusions. The guidelines aim to ensure your facility is proactively prepared for an immediate response in the event of an activist incursion on your property and to provide for the safety of people and the well-being of livestock on site.

The National Beef Cattle Feedlot Environmental Code of Practice (the Code of Practice) is intended to provide nationally consistent requirements under state regulation for lot feeders and administrators regarding the environmentally relevant aspects of the establishment and operation of beef cattle feedlots. The industry’s quality assurance system, the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme (NFAS) requires all accredited feedlots to adhere to the Code of Practice along with all other relevant environmental, animal welfare and food safety legislation.

The Guidelines are designed as a companion document to the National Beef Cattle Feedlot Environmental Code of Practice (the Code of Practice). The Guidelines provide ‘guidance’ on how the Code of Practice requirements regarding the establishment and operation of beef cattle feedlots may be achieved.

The latest edition of the national guide includes new content to ensure best practice animal welfare when preparing, loading and delivering cattle. The guide has been developed to support livestock operators meet the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for the Land Transport of Livestock which are embedded in NFAS, and decide whether an animal is fit to be loaded for transport and for the entire journey.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly-infectious disease of cattle that does not affect humans. The disease has never been recorded in Australia, however industry must become vigilant in identifying and reporting LSD as the likelihood of an outbreak in Australia increases. This factsheet gives a comprehensive overview of how to identify and respond to LSD. 

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an acute, highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild cloven-hoofed
animals including cattle, swine, sheep and goats. FMD is a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
listed disease and represents the greatest disease threat to Australia’s livestock industries and export
markets. This factsheet gives a comprehensive overview of how to identify and respond to FMD. 

The uniform set of carcase grading standards (AUS-MEAT ciphers) under controlled conditions, this provides a means of consistently describing meat characteristics and of classifying product prior to packaging. These characteristics include the colour of meat and fat, the amount of marbling, eye muscle area, the rib fat and the maturity of the carcase.

A handy document to provide to your cattle supplier, so that we can all work together to ensure calves are not born in feedlots.

Find resources about the NFAS changes introduced in 2021 in the one place on the AUS-MEAT website, including factsheet downloads and links to webinar recordings.

If you want to have a greater impact in online conversations about our industry, here's a guide to best practice social media use.

A summary of government initiatives and resources that may assist and support your feedlot business find suitable people for your Team.

The NSW government has developed a free digital tool called the Workplace Wellbeing Assessment. This tool allows your staff to share their views on what contributes to good mental health at work while also helping you identify clear and effective actions toward a mentally healthy and safe workplace. Help your staff feel heard and valued at the feedlot - access the tool below. 

This manual, made by MLA, is built upon the best available knowledge from around the world for covered housing and shade systems, along with knowledge gained from visits to a variety of covered housing systems operational in Australia. The manual details design, construction, regulations, bedding, manure management, welfare standards, animal health considerations, and costs of these systems compared to best practice open feedlot pens.

Feedlot TECH is a key output of the industry’s Feedlot Career Development and Training Strategy that showcases the many career, employment, and professional development opportunities available within the feedlot sector, across all career stages.

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This catalogue outlines the various courses, training sessions and professional development opportunities available on Feedlot TECH.

ALFA is excited to introduce our new Virtual Feedlot Tour resource. This user-friendly tour features a comprehensive 360-degree walkthrough of a feedlot, complete with information on each area and interesting facts throughout.

The Virtual Feedlot Tour was created for members to use to showcase to stakeholders what a feedlot looks like, how they are operated and how to learn more about them via the ALFA website, grainfedbeef.com.au and Feedlot TECH.