Jeff Schuller at the forefront of Feedlot Industry

23 July 2013

Jeff Schuller was awarded the 2011 Pfizer Medal,  a well recognised award within the Australian Feedlot Industry for excellence in Feedlot Operational Skills

Pfizer medal to Goonoo livestock manager

Presented during the Beefworks industry gathering was the 2011 Pfizer medal, an award presented each year to feedlot staff demonstrating excellence in operation skills.

 Candidates are selected from among participants in the ALFA-endorsed training programs conducted through New England TAFE, including pen riders, feeding and milling and maintenance staff.

Pfizer Intensive business unit director Fred Schwenke said the Pfizer medal was all about motivating young people in the feedlot industry to take the effort to upskill, and to seek a long-term career path in the industry.

“One of the difficulties faced in our industry is in retaining good young people,” he said.

The four criteria on which the award is based are general knowledge about the Australian feedlot industry, knowledge and skills in the specific area in which the candidate works, the level of commitment to the industry, and evidence that the person has the potential to have a positive impact on the industry, going forward.

This year’s winner was 25-year-old Jeff Schuller, from the Australian Agricultural Company’s Goonoo feedlot in Central Queensland.

Jeff grew up in a feedlot environment, as his father Dallas has for many years managed the Ashleigh Park Wagyu-focussed feedlot near Culcairn in southern NSW.

“After finishing school I worked for Colonial Agriculture at Goondiwindi for a while, in a cropping and cattle role, with a little lotfeeding thrown in,” he said.

He then started work with AA Co in 2007 at nearby Meteor Downs, before transferring to the company’s Goonoo feedlot in 2009. After two years in the livestock team, Jeff was recently promoted to livestock manager.

He completed the industry pen riders’ course last year.

“I found the course extremely helpful, and very relevant to the job,” he said. “In my case, having had previous experience in lotfeeding, it was more about reinforcement of prior on-the-job learning, but I still found it extremely useful in confirming why things are done the way they are in a commercial feedlot environment.”

“The content was pitched just right for the task of pen riding, with lots of useful information on animal health and related areas, as well as some extension into other areas like milling.”

More than 20 young industry members completed the various TAFE feedlot courses last year, with another group going through the course now.       

Other finalists for the 2011 Pfizer Medal included Jeremy Sloss, from Grassdale feedlot near Dalby, and Sarah Fawcett from Kerwee feedlot, near Jondaryan.

 Article Courtesy of Beef Central

Follow this Link to see Jeff talking more about his Job