ALFA's Margin & People Management (MPM) Program is designed to provide lot feeders and industry professionals with a deeper understanding of how to manage a modern feedlot business.
Established in 2008, the Program now boasts a strong alumni network of over 400 lot feeders and industry professionals, many of whom are now prominent industry leaders.
The MPM Program sessions covers topics such as basic financial margin management, time management, setting priorities, human behaviour and how to work more effectively with other people, especially in difficult situations.
The Program is run annually over several months, delivered through 4 x 2-day training sessions to a maximum of 12 participants. The group gathers three times in-person for the sessions delivered by a range of facilitators; the final session is a feedlot tour, where participants hear from Feedlot Managers who have graduated from the Program and other prominent industry leaders.
The program is in high demand each year, and we encourage feedlots to reserve a position on future programs to avoid disappointment.
Meet course 15
Session 1: People & General Management
5th March - 7th March 2024
MPM Course 15 kicked off last week where the group met in Sydney for the first time. Their first challenge was an escape room, where half the group had to work together to problem solve their way out of a "lift in a burning hotel", while the other half needed to unravel the riddle of Jumanji before they were wiped out by a jungle based hazard.
The group then had a two day workshop on People & General Management. Day 1 was Disc Profiling with Create Learning which opened the their thinking to identify the differing behavioural and communication styles of others, developing their confidence and self-awareness to modify behaviour to based on other people's style.
Day 2 built on these skills and awareness with Australian Institute of Management's High Performance Teams which covered practical strategies to develop team cohesion and a high performance culture.
It was a busy few days forming new networks and gaining new skills. The group will meet again in Sydney in May for their Industry & Advocacy Overview and Finance Fundamentals session.
Session 2: Industry Advocacy & Finance Fundamentals
15th-16th May 2024
Recently ALFA's MPM Course 15 met in Sydney for their second session of the program.
This session covered Crisis Management with a discussion led by ALFA’s Policy Manager Meg Rice, an Industry Overview from the team at MLA, Commodity Management with Graincorp, an overview of ALFA's role in advocacy and our recognition of Excellence Program, as well as finance fundamentals.
For dinner the group tried something different with a Teppanyaki meal where the group's hand-eye coordination was put to the test. The group’s next session will be held in Sydney in July.
Session 3: People Management & Presentation Skills
17th-18th July 2024
This week, the MPM Course 15 cohort were in Sydney for their third session.
Day one covered how to deliver powerful presentations, and Day two involved a deep dive into DiSC profiling, with a focus on management soft skills in the Mate to Manager session.
The next stop and final session for Cohort 15 is the industry tour in South Australia, coming up in September.
Session 4: Industry Tour
11th September - 12th September 2024
ALFA’s Margin & People Management (MPM) Course 15 came to a close with their fourth and final session in South Australia.
The group had a great tour of the TFI’s beef processing plant at Murray Bridge. From lairage to packing and cold stores, the new facility was very impressive.
The group then toured Sunpork’s mill facility just out of Murray bridge. It was interesting for the group to hear about the pork industry and understand the similarities and differences of intensive farming of different proteins.
They also visited Thomas Foods International's Southern Cross Feedlot, Campbell House Dairy and Thornby Sheep Feedlot during their tour.
Congratulations to Adam Reid, Andrew Conaghan, Brianna Meacle, Cyril Makiputin, Dillion Penhall, Jedd Johnstone, Josh petty, Kassidy Coulthard, Liam Martin, Lisa Watson, Nic Cook and Noah Mallory for completing the MPM Program.