The AgForce Training simulator drew plenty of interest at BeefEx 2026. Producers and industry representatives stepped behind the controls to experience simulation-based machinery training firsthand.
While there was some friendly competition, the bigger conversation was about how simulation can help workers build familiarity and confidence in a safe, controlled environment—before they operate machinery in a live workplace.
For feedlot owners and managers, machinery is central to day-to-day operations. Tractors, telehandlers, skid steers and front-end loaders all play a role in moving feed and materials, cleaning pens, handling commodities and keeping the site running. Developing capable operators is therefore an important part of supporting safe, efficient operations.
Machinery skills matter
Modern feedlots depend on people who can operate machinery competently and understand the practical responsibilities that come with it.
For employers, the challenge is often bringing new or less-experienced workers up to speed without placing unnecessary pressure on supervisors, equipment or daily operations. Learning solely on working machinery can be demanding: it takes time, requires close supervision and can interrupt productivity.
That is where simulation can provide a valuable step in the training pathway.
AgForce Training’s high-fidelity Tenstar simulator is designed to replicate real machinery operating situations and everyday tasks in a controlled setting. It is not about turning serious farm work into a game. It is about giving workers a practical way to build foundational skills before progressing to hands-on training and workplace operation.
Learn before you operate
Through the Simulator Guided Program, participants can work through realistic operating scenarios and develop familiarity with machinery controls, movements and decision-making.
Training can include machinery such as:
- Telehandlers
- Tractors
- Skid steers
- Front-end loaders
Rather than only watching someone else operate a machine, participants get behind the controls themselves. They can practise manoeuvring, coordination and spatial awareness while receiving guidance throughout the process.
The simulator can also support learning around realistic operating procedures, including pre-start checks, shutdown procedures and routine machine tasks.
Just as importantly, it creates room for workers to make mistakes, receive feedback and try again.
If something does not go to plan, the participant can pause, understand what happened and repeat the task without damage to machinery, disruption to the operation or unnecessary exposure to risk for themselves or their workmates.
Building confidence first
For a worker who has never operated a telehandler, tractor, skid steer or front-end loader, climbing into the cab for the first time can be daunting.
Simulation gives them the opportunity to become familiar with the controls and basic operating principles before they move onto practical machinery training. That early familiarity can help workers approach the real machine with a clearer understanding of what is expected of them.
For experienced employees, the simulator can also be useful for refreshing operating knowledge, reinforcing safer work practices or helping identify where further instruction may be needed.
Simulation is not intended to replace practical, hands-on training or workplace supervision. It is a useful preparation tool one part of a broader, right-sized training approach.
By the time a worker progresses to the real machine, they may already have practised the movements, controls and decisions involved in operating it.
A practical tool for feedlots
One of the strongest themes to emerge at BeefEx was the need for training that works around agricultural operations not the other way around.
Taking multiple staff away from a feedlot for training is not always practical. Workforce experience, available machinery, site demands and team size can vary significantly from one operation to the next.
AgForce Training works with producers and feedlot managers to understand their workforce, identify skills gaps and explore a training pathway suited to their operation.
Simulator-based training may be particularly valuable for feedlots looking to:
- Onboard new employees by introducing them to machinery operation before they begin practical workplace training
- Build capability across different machines and support a more versatile workforce
- Give workers time to practise skills in a controlled environment before operating in a live workplace
- Help supervisors better understand an employee’s current capability and where further instruction may be required
- Build familiarity and confidence through repetition before moving onto working machinery
The Tenstar simulation unit can help reduce the need to use fuel, take machinery out of service or expose expensive equipment to damage while workers are developing foundational operating skills.[1]
Training that fits your operation
Every feedlot is different, and so is every workforce.
The machinery in use, the experience of employees and the operational demands of the business should all shape the training approach. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all solution, AgForce Training can help identify an appropriate pathway that supports the needs of your people and your operation.
The Simulator Guided Program can form part of that broader workforce development approach helping workers prepare for practical machinery training, supporting supervisors and building capability across the team.
Better skills for the job ahead
BeefEx was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate what the simulator can do. Its real value, however, is in helping agricultural businesses prepare workers for the realities of machinery operation on-farm.
For feedlot owners and managers, the question is not simply whether an employee can operate a machine. It is whether they have the skills, confidence and practical understanding to operate it responsibly within a working feedlot environment.
Investing in workforce capability can help support safer work practices, ease pressure on supervisors and give employees a stronger foundation as they progress into hands-on machinery training.