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LANDSCAN® - PROfarm course

Course details

Name: LANDSCAN®
Description: This course assists farmers and land managers to assess natural resources, to better match land use to land capability and to balance production, profit and sustainability.
Cost:

$440 GST-free, includes LANDSCAN™ manual and the booklet Management of Profitable and Sustainable Pastures.

This course is registered under the Commonwealth Government's FarmReady program. Eligible primary producers can be reimbursed for the cost of this course. See the FarmReady website for more details.

Course aims:
  • to develop skills & knowledge to assess natural resources on farms (pastures, vegetation, soils & topography) to better match land-use to land capability.
  • to help farmers make more informed decisions about managing landscapes and allocating resources to better balance production, profit & sustainability issues.
  • provide a process to help explain and make decisions about complex, often inter-related issues like  soil acidity, ground cover, pasture & nutrient decline.
  • provide a sound basis for developing or modifying a farm plan.
Learning outcomes:
  • recognise major land classes, land capability and landscape potential
  • relate landscape features to soil characteristics
  • understand basic soil properties and descriptions
  • take meaningful soil samples
  • understand basic plant nutrition
  • interpret soil tests
  • identify soil limitations in your paddocks
  • recognise major forms of soil degradation and their causes
  • match production to soils and landscape
  • manage soil degradation issues
  • develop paddock management strategies
  • develop a farm plan 
Length: 5 half days and 1 full day session over 4-6 months.
Course program/structure: Session 1: Understanding landscapes and land capabilities

Session 2: Understanding soils and soil sampling

Session 3: Interpreting soil test results

Session 4: Sustainability and productivity

Session 5: Tools and strategies

Session 6: Making decisions

Resources and method of delivery: Participants will receive a 90 page manual and the pasture management booklet 'Management of Profitable and Sustainable Pastures'.

This course is delivered on farms and includes many outdoor practical activities such as identifying landscape features, trees and pasture species.

Participants will need to collect soil samples from at least two paddocks and pay for their own soil tests through a NATA accredited laboratory. A discount rate has been negotiated for course participants. Soil sampling equipment is available to participants to collect their soil samples.

Accreditation: This course is mapped to the following national units of competency:
  • AHCSOL201A - Determine basic properties of soil and/or growing media
  • AHCSOL501A - Monitor and manage soils for production

 

Register

Contact us to register your interest in this course.

Other dates and locations are available on demand.

Current scheduled courses

course date
Tocal College, Paterson (near Maitland) 12th Oct 2012

Location

Tocal College, Paterson (near Maitland)

When
12th Oct 2012

Extra details for this date

or call Kim Griffiths on (02) 4939 8881 (ph), 1800 025 520


Testimonials

The LANDSCAN course was extremely beneficial for our enterprise ... and pointed us towards successfully establishing perennial pastures.
- Greg Kuchel, 'Massadon'
full testimonial

Through the LANDSCAN course, we've found new ways to better utilise our fertiliser.
-Matt Pearce, 'Muronga'
full testimonial