Salinity course to national standards
From the February 2009 edition of Agriculture Today.
Trainers in a new workshop series that covers aspects of salinity, including soil management, perennial pastures, hydrology, and decision support frameworks, are providing their expertise to other States whose education and training resources are limited.
The EverTrain project extends Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre research outcomes to land managers.
Participants come away with a good understanding of what salinity is, where it occurs, why it occurs, how to identify it and, most importantly, the management options.
A field trip, practical work, and use of local land managers and scientists ensure the training is based on regional conditions and provides participants with an understanding of their local management options.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) advisory officers Tania Midgley and Damien Doyle are part of the EverTrain national assessment team and recently took part in the first EverTrain regional training workshop in South Australia at Murray Bridge.
The Salinity Concepts and Management workshop was delivered to 21 participants including agronomists, local action plan officers and project officers from South Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board.
The national assessment team is qualified to travel to each participating State to assist in the development, delivery and assessment of accredited training activities toward a Certificate IV level.
A local landholder’s presentation of practical aspects of salt management was a highlight of the Murray Bridge workshop, according to Ms Midgley.
"Landholder involvement is invaluable in these sorts of training programs and he shared his various experiences in managing saltland, what had worked and what hadn’t over the years," she said.
Mr Doyle said participants developed a salinity management plan for the case study property they visited, meshing various concepts they had discussed, which should be useful for other properties they service or support in their workplace.
NSW DPI has developed this training to national accreditation standards, with support from Murrumbidgee Rural Studies Centre, and DPI research scientists and extension staff.
The partnership benefits all players, with DPI receiving some FFI CRC funding and DPI staff gaining valuable insight into Victorian, South and Western Australian land management practices, and making links with their farmers and research scientists.
Contact Deb Slinger, Wagga Wagga, (02) 6938 1901, deb.slinger@dpi.nsw.gov.au
