NINE finalists have been named in four categories in the countdown to the Australian Lot Feeders’ Association’s coveted 2021 Australian Feedlot of the Year Competition.

Drawn from an entry pool of 35 feedlots across the nation, the winners will be announced at the ALFA SmartBeef 2021 Conference industry awards dinner to be held in Dalby on 20 October.

The competition is open to all National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme accredited feedlots and focuses on driving best practice and uncovering feedlots that are exceeding the status quo. The competition is spilt into four size categories based on the constructed head capacity.

Finalists this year include –

Less than 3000 head category

• Paradise Beef Feedlot, WA
• Weeroona Feedlot, QLD

3000-8000 head category

• Camm Agricultural Group – Wonga Plains, QLD
• Gundamain Pastoral, Gundamain Feedlot, NSW

8000-15,000 head category

• Gunnee Feedlot Pty Ltd, NSW
• Mort & Co – Pinegrove Feedlot, QLD

More than 15,000 head category

• AACo – Goonoo Feedlot, QLD
• Teys Australia – Charlton Feedlot, VIC
• Teys Australia – Jindalee Feedlot, NSW

The competition is structured around the five core principals of NFAS: quality assurance culture; product integrity; environmental responsibility; animal welfare responsibility; and business planning.

Within these pillars, areas were explored by the independent judging panel including innovation, employer of choice, chain of responsibility, and community amenity and social accountability, which have helped to set the top performing feedlots apart.

“It is pleasing to see so many feedlots enter the competition this year, it demonstrates the lot feeding sector’s strong commitment to operating within robust quality management systems, continual improvement and innovation,” ALFA president Bryce Camm said.

“The Australian feedlot industry prides itself on the integrity of its long-standing quality assurance scheme, NFAS, and this competition shows the commitment our sector has to the high standards we sign up to,” he said.

“The finalists in the competition this year should be commended for their efforts in striving to push the status quo and be the best they can be.”

By entering, feedlots receive valuable benchmarking feedback and winning provides feedlots the opportunity to take advantage of the considerable marketing benefits associated with winning the prestigious award.

To find out more about the finalists in this year’s competition, each feedlot has produced a short video clip that can be viewed here. www.feedlots.com.au/floty.

The Australian Feedlot of the Year Award 2021 is supported by ALFA, AusMeat and the Integrity Systems Company.

Source: ALFA