Zac McGee, 2026 ALFA Young Lot Feeder of the Year.

HAVING grown up in the industry, this year’s ALFA Young Lot Feeder of the Year has grainfed beef in his blood, he shared after receiving the award at Australia’s flagship grain fed beef industry event, BeefEx.

Zac McGee from Mort & Co’s Grassdale Feedlot was named ALFA Young Lot Feeder of the Year, an award that celebrates the next generation of talent coming through the grain fed beef sector.

The award recognises a young professional who has demonstrated exceptional skill, leadership and commitment to the industry’s future.

“My father ran Goonoo Feedlot in Central Queensland for 15 years and that’s where the passion started and then we went to Rangers Valley in northern NSW,” Mr McGee shared.

Each of the finalists for Young Lot Feeder of the Year had to submit to an essay on an industry problem and propose a solution for it.

Mr McGee wrote about Better Emergency Animal Disease Prevention and Preparedness.

“I think we need to focus on the human traceability, we are relying on honesty and integrity of the individual, so I think we need to tighten our own regulation and set a standard from the ground up within our operations,” Mr McGee told The Week in Beef.

Feedlot of the Year Winners

The Australian Feedlot of the Year award recognises the operation that best demonstrates excellence across animal welfare, environmental stewardship, innovation and business performance, and sets a benchmark for the wider industry.

The award is contested across feedlot capacity categories: under 3,000 head, 3,000–8,000 head, and more than 15,000 head.

This year’s Australian Feedlot of the Year winners are:

• Under 3,000 head: Waggaba Feedlot
• 3,000-8,000 head: Cadelga Feedlot
• Over 15,000 head: Sapphire Feedlot

ALFA President Grant Garey congratulated both winners, along with all of this year’s finalists.

“These awards are about celebrating the very best of what our industry has to offer, from the operations setting the benchmark for animal welfare and innovation, right through to the young people who are going to lead this sector for decades to come,” Mr Garey said.

“Every finalist tonight should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved, and our winners represent the passion, hard work and forward thinking that make grain fed beef in Australia world-class.”

• A video with the Feedlot of the Year winners will be published on Beef Central in the coming days.

The team from Waggaba Feedlot accepting the award for Feedlot of the Year under 3,000 head.

The team from Cadelga Feedlot, winners of the Feedlot of the Year for 3,000-8,000 head.

James Guest, Sapphire Feedlot manager accepting the award for Feedlot of the Year over 15,000 head.