New $45 million program launched to fast-track feedlot innovation and adoption
The program is a clear demonstration of MLA and the feedlot sectors commitment to delivering on the ambitions set out in the MLA Strategic Plan 2030, particularly its focus on accelerating the adoption of proven tools and technologies that improve livestock productivity, animal wellbeing and business resilience.
The program will embed structured research within operating feedlots to generate robust, real-world evidence that can be rapidly shared and adopted across the sector.
This approach reflects MLA’s strategic intent to link research and adoption more closely, ensuring innovations are tested at commercial scale and in the production environments where lot feeders need confidence to invest.
According to MLA’s Managing Director, Michael Crowley the initiative represents the next step in MLA’s commitment to helping industry adopt innovation faster.
“This program has been built to deliver high quality evidence at commercial scale so lot feeders can adopt with confidence,” Mr Crowley said.
“It is about backing the priorities of industry, focusing on practical research activity and turning strong ideas into proven results that lift animal wellbeing, performance and profitability.”
ALFA worked closely with MLA on establishing the initiative and will continue to work with MLA to encourage participation and knowledge sharing.
ALFA Chief Executive Officer, Christian Mulders, said lot feeders often look for evidence that reflects their own conditions, and RAAD has been designed around that need.
“RAAD gives feedlot operators a mechanism to conduct research under their own commercial feedlot conditions and evaluate local results before making full-scale investment and adoption decisions.”
“We’re very excited about RAAD and believe it will give feedlot operators confidence to accelerate adoption in areas of importance to our industry,” Mr Mulders said.
The first iteration of the program will focus on shade and shelter systems, allowing feedlots to evaluate designs suited to their climate, geography and production systems and to measure the associated impacts on performance, health, welfare and economics.
The program has also been designed to expand into additional priority areas identified by industry, including animal health and welfare technologies, automation and labour efficiency, performance optimisation and environmental sustainability, ensuring future project calls continue to reflect the focus areas outlined in MLA’s Strategic Plan 2030.
Future calls for projects will be released progressively to direct investment to the areas of greatest impact.
Participation will be supported through MDC co funding arrangements that focus investment on research planning, implementation, monitoring, analysis and reporting, while capital decisions remain with feedlot businesses.
This ensures commercial ownership of infrastructure and transparent, publishable findings that can be shared across the wider sector.
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