OPINION
This year is shaping up to be an exciting time in the feedlot industry in respect to training and events.
ALFA is set to deliver an important project that’s been in the works for over two years – the Feedlot Career Development and Training Strategy. The project will provide the Australian feedlot sector, its businesses and current and prospective employees with a clear career development pathway and associated training, professional development and support networks designed to attract, retain and grow the capacity of the feedlot work force.
More information on the training project was detailed in the September 2018 edition of Lotfeeding in the CEO report.
The project will see ALFA employ a project officer across the four-year implementation plan to help deliver tangible outcomes that will benefit the whole industry. We look forward to introducing the new recruit to our members and industry when they come on board in early 2019.
It’s a full schedule in 2019 for workshops being delivered to industry. This year you will find some old favourites planned alongside some new workshop topics which are sure to open the horizons for some. This year's workshop topics will focus on animal health and welfare, effective team communication, heat load and antimicrobial stewardship.
To find out dates for these workshops, we encourage you to check the ALFA website.
Another exciting project in the works at the moment involves developing a website that is a single, transparent source of information on the Australian grain-fed beef production system and its products.
The site, which is set to launch in mid-2019 will promote the features, attributes and benefits of grain fed beef; the animal welfare and environmental credentials of the grain fed beef sector; and the quality assurance system that underpins it. You’ll want to keep an eye out for this one.
A focus on training in the lotfeeding industry with animal health and welfare workshops
One of ALFA’s strategic objectives is to ensure the Australian feedlot industry maintains its reputation for good animal husbandry practices through identifying and addressing opportunities to improve the health and welfare of Australia’s grain-fed cattle.
The animal health and welfare (AHW) workshop series is a staple in the ALFA workshop program, which aims to instil and improve animal husbandry practices directly related to animal health and welfare in Australian feedlots.
The animal health and welfare workshops differ from the animal welfare officer training that ALFA delivered in 2018 as these were accredited training modules targeted at feedlot managers, supervisors and QA personnel.
The animal health and welfare workshops is an unaccredited workshop suitable for all feedlot staff members who handle cattle on a day-to-day basis.
ALFA, with the support of MLA, will deliver several one-day workshops in the major lotfeeding areas of Australia in March 2019. For more information see the ALFA website.