List of scheduled courses
PROfarm courses are delivered locally by highly skilled and respected NSW DPI staff. Many of the courses are subsidised to reflect the public benefits provided by the adoption of more sustainable farming practices. On-demand courses, tailored to the specific needs of individual groups, are also available.
Show list in: Alphabetical Order | Categories
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| All-terrain vehicle (ATV) handling | A course for those wanting to develop their skills in the safe use of four wheeled motor bikes. |
| Alpaca care and management | This course is designed for property owners interested in breeding alpacas. |
| Animal health risk management - introduction | A workshop to assist participants to develop and implement a disease risk management plan for their farm or enterprise. |
| Beef care and handling | A course designed for property owners wishing to learn a range of practical tasks associated with the handling, breeding and caring for cattle on the farm. |
| Beef-N-Omics | This 3 day course for commercial beef producers will show how to maximise beef production from the breeding herd. |
| Beekeeping | A practical beekeeping course for new and established beekeepers. |
| Beekeeping as a business | A course designed to enable beekeepers to make the transition of keeping honey bees from a hobby to a business. |
| Better bull buying | This 1 day course will improve confidence in selecting and buying bulls that suit the beef enterprise and markets and improve herd reproductive rates. |
| Blackberry identification | A course designed for those who wish to gain the skills in the identification and monitoring of blackberry. |
| Bore and windmill service and repair for farmers | This 1½ day course will instruct on how to effectively carry out service and repairs to bores and windmills, identify and manage site hazards, and use and maintain specialist tools. |
| Business structures, leases and sharefarming agreements | This one-day course will help rural landholders to plan for the future and explore alternative business structures. |
| Calculating cost of production for your beef enterprise | A workshop for beef producers to identify the cost of production for their enterprise to improve decision-making and maximise profits. |
| Chainsaw - Fall trees manually - non-production | A 2 day course on how to safely and efficiently fall trees, taking into account environmental requirements. |
| Chainsaw - Trim & cross-cut felled trees (Level II chainsaw operation) | This course will show participants how to safely operate and maintain a chainsaw for removing a fallen tree using a range of cutting techniques. |
| Chainsaw operation and maintenance | A practical course for those seeking basic chainsaw cross-cutting (cutting timber on ground) and maintenance skills. |
| Conservation farming | A course designed for farmers who have an interest in conservation farming. |
| Dohne ram breeding and selection | A course for Dohne Sheep breeders and agricultural consultations to develop a breeding program encompassing practical selection and assessment based on the Dohne breeding objective. |
| Effective communication for business owners and managers | This one-day course is designed specifically to get the most out of your relationship with your employees, especially in family-owned businesses where synergy between business and home is crucial. |
| Environmental management systems (EMS) in agriculture - External course | This 2 day course introduces participants to the concept of an EMS, highlights the benefits of sustainable agriculture and assists farmers to develop their own EMS. |
| Faecal egg counts for worms | A course for those interested in managing internal parasites and worms in their livestock. |
| Farm planning | A course for land managers and farming families interested in natural resource management for sustainable farm production. |
| Farmer's guide to managing climate risk | This 1 day course will help farmers and graziers and other land managers to reduce risk by allowing them to monitor and effectively incorporate weather and climate information into farm decision making. |
| Farming for climate change | A three day workshop spread over 6 weeks to assist landholders prepare and adapt their property for climate risk. |
| Feeding the milk business | A course for those working in the dairy industry to improve their management of dairy feeding programs. |
| Fencing conventional | An introductory course for those seeking basic fencing knowledge and skills. |
| Forklift licence preparation | A course to prepare participants for assessment for a WorkCover forklift licence. |
| Getting started with environmental management in viticulture - Research to Practice® | A course to assist wine grape growers improve their environmental management through the use of an environmental assessment tool. |
| Goat care and management | This course is designed for property owners interested in breeding goats. |
| Grapevine nutrition - Research to Practice® | A two day course to assist growers develop a grapevine nutrition program. |
| Healthy soils and healthy landscape | A course designed for farmers and land managers to improve soil health and soil nutrient management. |
| Heavy horse care and handling | An introductory heavy horse care and handling course for first-time owners or those thinking of purchasing. |
| Horse care and handling | An introductory horse handling course for those buying their first horse or who are first horse owners. |
| Identification and management of native grass pastures for agriculture and conservation | A 1 day course to assist landholders to identify native grasses, understand why these grasses best fit into an agricultural landscape and learn how to manage these grasses for agriculture and conservation. |
| Integrated pest management (IPM) in viticulture - Research to Practice® | A two and a half day course to assist wine grape growers develop a plan for the management of target pests. |
| International Seed Testing Association seed sampling procedures | A course designed for those wishing to gain practical skills in seed sampling. |
| Introduction to environmental management systems (EMS) | This 2 day course introduces participants to the concept of an EMS, highlights the benefits of sustainable agriculture and assists farmers to develop their own EMS. |
| Introduction to irrigation pump performance | This one day course for irrigators and other users of irrigation pumps can improve their knowledge, understanding and operation of their pumps and learn how to improve pump performance. |
| Introduction to organic farming | This course is designed for property owners interested in growing produce organically. |
| Introduction to pastures (previously 'Planting improved pastures') | An introductory course that addresses the basics of pasture establishment, pasture varieties for different conditions and management of pastures for livestock production. |
| Introduction to property planning | A course for landholders on the basic principles, practices and benefits of property management planning. |
| Irrigated lucerne for profit | A 2 day course that provides the knowledge and skills required to grow and market irrigated lucerne efficiently and profitably. |
| Lamb assessment and marketing | A 1 to1½ day course for lamb producers, lamb buyers and livestock agents to understand markets for lamb products, specifications for major markets, production techniques for producing lambs to meet market specifications and assessment of lambs for carcase weight and fat score. |
| LANDSCAN® | This course, held over 5 half-days and 1 full day, farmers and land managers develop skills and knowledge to assess natural resources to better match land use to land capability and to make more informed decisions about managing landscapes and allocating resources to better balance production, profit and sustainability. |
| Managing conflict at work | This one-day course is designed to create a greater understanding and awareness of how to set clear boundaries of what you will and will not tolerate, in a respectful, assertive manner, without aggression. |
| Managing pastures for profit | A course designed for those dairy farmers who want to increase profitability and productivity on their farm. |
| Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) Workshop | A course designed for staff of Catchment Management Authorities, and organisations working in agriculture and natural resource management. |
| Native plant and weed look-alikes | A course for those who want to learn how to recognise and distinguish between common native plants and environmental weeds of coastal NSW. A jargon-free practical course for landcarers, landholders and others involved with the natural environment. |
| Negotiation skills for farmers | A course for those interested in developing their negotiation and communication skills. |
| Off-road four wheel drive (4x4) training | This 2 day course will teach you how to safely operate a four wheel drive vehicle off-road and use vehicle recovery techniques. |
| OHS for livestock handlers | This half-day course is ideally suited to those individuals or organisations who work in close conjunction with livestock selling centres throughout the state. |
| Paddock plants - field day | This course will assist landholders identify plants commonly growing on their properties, their attributes and associated management options. |
| Post and rail fencing | A course for those interested in developing skills in constructing post and rail fences. |
| Poultry care for the home flock | A basic introduction to poultry and the management of the home flock |
| Prograze abridged | An intensive two day course to develop skills in assessing pasture and animal production and to develop pasture and livestock management plans. |
| Prograze Plus | This workshop series builds on the skills and knowledge learnt in Prograze, leading to the development of a whole farm fodder budget. |
| Prograze® | Run over 8 half-days in the field, this course provides skills for participants to assess pasture characteristics influencing pasture and animal production and to develop pasture and livestock management plans. |
| Promoting your small farming enterprise | A course for those interested in promoting their small farming enterprise through the media. |
| Property management planning (PMP) for natural resource management | A 6 day course designed for land managers and farm families interested in natural resource management for sustainable farm production. |
| Property-to-property transfer - National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) | This course suits stock agents, saleyard operators, Rural Lands Protection Board rangers, NSW DPI regulatory staff, transport operators and cattle producers. |
| Queen bee breeding | A 3 day course for beekeepers and people interested in entering the queen bee industry. |
| Realise your personal and professional potential: taking control | This workshop series includes three two-hour sessions scheduled over a six-week period. Whatever your immediate needs, whether you are returning to work after a long absence, considering a career change, redefining your life or simply uncertain about taking the next step to identify your passion, this workshop series is for you. Practical and no-nonsense, designed to unearth the limiting beliefs holding you back and what it will take to propel you forward in the desired direction. |
| Recognising water weeds | A practical course to help you recognise serious aquatic weeds in Australia. |
| Retirement, estate and succession planning for farmers | This one-day course explores principles guiding effective communication about emotional, social, financial, and legal questions faced at one time or another by all farm families; what others in your situation have learned about keeping living area, farm and family together as retirement and withdrawal approach; and steps you should take this financial year to better achieve your desired ends when retirement is in your sights. |
| Rice for profit | This 3 day course provides knowledge for improved rice management and the latest information about rice farming systems. |
| Safe tractor operation and maintenance | A 2 day course covering safe operation of tractors and appliances and basic maintenance and care. |
| Secure loads | A course for those interested in safely loading and transporting machinery. |
| Service and maintain small powered machines | This one day course teaches you to carry out your own servicing and adjustments to small powered machines - Ride on Mowers, Hand Mowers, Line Trimmers, Brush Cutters, Mulchers and Chainsaws in a safe manner to OHS standards and to manufacturer’s specifications. |
| Shaping our futures together (SOFT) | SOFT is a 2 day leadership course that builds on the diversity of leadership capacity in rural communities by developing rural women’s self-esteem and confidence, goal setting and action planning skills. |
| Sheep care and husbandry | This course is designed for property owners interested in breeding sheep. |
| SMARTtrain® chemical application (Level 3) | A 2 day course for people who use pesticides with powered and hand-held application equipment. |
| SMARTtrain® chemical risk management (Level 4) | This 1½ day course is suitable for training supervisors and managers with risk management skills to manage the transportation, storage, application and record keeping of agricultural chemicals (including biological pesticides). Participants must be accredited at Level 3 to achieve competence at Level 4. |
| SMARTtrain® chemical safety (Level 2) | A 1 day course to meet the minimum legal requirements for training commercial users of pesticides and the requirements for using hazardous substances. |
| SMARTtrain® fumigation on farms | A one-day course designed to instruct participants in how to identify and understand the life cycles of stored grain insect pests; manage stored grain more effectively, and work effectively with fumigants for stored product protection and vertebrate pest management. |
| SMARTtrain® Level 3 reaccreditation | This 1 day course is suitable for reaccrediting people previously accredited in a Level 3 chemical usage course. People who use pesticides in their business must be reaccredited every five years. |
| SMARTtrain® Level 4 reaccreditation | A 1½ day course suitable for reaccrediting people previously accredited in a Level 4 chemical usage course. |
| SMARTtrain® OHS risk management on farms (Level 4) | This 2 day course will assist farm owners and managers to develop an OHS system for their enterprise that complies with the OH&S Act 2000 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001. |
| SMARTtrain® safe use of hazardous substances (Level 2) | This 4 hour course is suitable for induction level employees who will be using or exposed to substances classified as hazardous substances in the workplace. |
| SMARTtrain® weeds and their control | A training and assessment resource for the scoping, documenting, planning, control and monitoring of weeds. |
| Soil analysis and fertiliser management for the North West | A course to help farmers analyse their soils and develop a targeted fertiliser program. |
| Soils and fertilisers | A practical course for those seeking a better understanding soils and fertilisers. |
| Stock AssessTM | This 2 day course for new entrants to the beef industry will assist producers to develop skills in assessing and selling methods, assessing cattle for markets and to understand markets and differences in markets. |
| Stock Safe - safe responsible livestock handling | A 2 day course to improve safe handling skills of stock on farm and reduce the risk of injury of those working with livestock, and to raise awareness of animal welfare as an issue of public concern. |
| StockPlan® 3 days | This 3 day course assists producers to develop planning of the grazing business for effective response to drought. |
| Tactical grazing management for semi-arid rangelands | This 2 day course is suitable for Western Division graziers, to assist in developing a sustainable and profitable grazing enterprise. |
| Targets for change - grazing and cropping areas | A course for producers, introducing the importance of Natural Resource Management, identifying production and Natural Resource Management co-benefits and developing a remedial plan for potential funding. |
| TopfodderTM silage | This 3 day course covers the science of silage, crop selection, making, storing and feeding high quality silage. The program includes hands-on inspection and assessment of silage on farms using both bulk and baled silage. |
| Traditional bush timber construction | A course for those interested in developing skills in the restoration and maintenance of historical rural buildings and structures, and the construction of traditional post and rail fencing. |
| Vertebrate pest management | A course designed for people implementing vertebrate pest management programs. |
| Water management for grapevines - Research to Practice® | A two day course to assist growers develop efficient and productive irrigation practices for their vineyard. |
| WaterWise on the farm (previously 'Introduction to irrigation management') | A course for landholders, farm managers, consultants and rural retailers to improve irrigation system performance and water use efficiency. |
| Wean more lambs | This 1 day course presents a complete package of best practice management technologies aimed at optimising sheep reproductive performance. |
| Weeds and their control | A course for those interested in developing skills in identifying and managing weeds. |
| What does your garden grow? | A course designed for those with an interest in weeds and to how best manage them in your garden. |
| Wine grape quality management - Research to Practice® | A course to assist growers to identify the factors contributing to wine grape quality and how these might be manipulated. |
| Wood chipper operation | This two-day course is suitable for contractors, council workers and anyone wanting to gain specialised skills relating to non-production forest activities. |
| Working with People in Dairy: Professional development in human resource management for dairy advisors | A course for those working in the dairy industry to improve farm working relationships and to establish a support network for human resource development. |
See also the list of on-demand courses.