If you’ve got a passion for agriculture and cattle, and you’re an eager learner with a keen eye for detail, a career in lot feeding could have your name on it.
Feedlots are made up of a number of different departments, or teams. There are four main teams within a feedlot operation:
Livestock
🌾Feeding and milling
🛠️ Maintenance and farming
👩💻 Administration
Each department has varying levels of responsibility. As skills, knowledge and responsibilities grow, so too do the opportunities available. Staff can climb the ranks from general hand, to leading hand and supervisor positions, and management positions open up as staff gain leadership skills and expertise across the whole feedlot.
WHAT DOES EACH DEPARTMENT DO?
LIVESTOCK TEAM
The livestock team manages the daily health, welfare and movements of cattle at the feedlot. Each day, pen riders on horseback check each feedlot pen for sick or injured cattle. Livestock hands assess, treat and care for cattle with poor health in the hospital pens until they recover and can return to their home pen.
Other duties include:
📋Induct new cattle (vaccinate, weigh, and tag)
📋Prepare finished cattle for dispatch (scan, weight, draft, and organise onto trucks)
📋 Livestock manager organises daily roles and team’s responsibilities
What skills do I need?
✅ Cattle handling and husbandry practices
✅Assessing and checking animal health
✅ Low-stress stock handling
Apply now: Livestock hand
FEEDING AND MILLING TEAM
The role of the feeding and milling team is to prepare and allocate high quality, scientifically created feed rations to cattle within a feedlot.
Duties include:
📋Deliver feedstuff
📋Control storage systems
📋Use milling equipment to process and prepare the grain for cattle
📋Loader and feed truck drivers ensure rations are fed to the right cattle at the right time
📋Manager directs staff and ensures the quality and regularity of the feed rations produced
What skills do I need?
✅Using and driving large machinery
✅Operating milling equipment
✅Knowledge of cattle nutrition
✅Organisation, precision and efficiency skills
Apply now: Feedmill hand (WA)
Apply now: Feedmill hand (QLD)
MAINTENANCE AND FARMING
The maintenance team ensures the daily upkeep of the entire feedlot. This can involve vehicle and equipment maintenance, and improvements to pens, laneways and infrastructure. This team also checks the water and energy supply for the feedlot, which is crucial for cattle welfare.
The farming team is involved in work on production land linked to the feedlot. This may involve livestock handling, cropping, fencing, irrigation, energy and environmental management.
Other duties include:
📋Pen cleaning team manages manure and optimises the pen environment for cattle
📋Organise manure storage, processing and dispatch for use as feedlot by-product
📋Manager oversees team daily roles, budgets, repairs, and aims to limit the feedlot’s environmental impact
What skills do I need?
✅Driving large machinery
✅Vehicle upkeep
✅Safely use workshop tools for feedlot upgrade
ADMINISTRATION
The administration team is the central hub of communication and coordination for the feedlot.
Duties include:
📋Data entry, invoicing, coordinating orders and deliveries and recording keeping
📋 A weighbridge operator is in charge of weighing, recording and directing all trucks and deliveries that come in or out of the feedlot
📋 Receptionists manage visitors or contractors and perform office duties
📋Office managers direct and organise the office team roles.
Human resources and workplace, health and safety managers are mostly upper management positions. These roles involve ensuring positive human relations, safety and improving staff skill sets.
What skills do I need?
✅Ability to use a variety of computer programs
✅Positive dealings with clients
Apply now: Software technical support consultant (WFH)
Apply now: Livestock buyer
