AgSkilled

Riverina farmer Wayne Brooker had been looking into how drones could help him on the farm for a while. He wanted to know more about the latest types of drones, what they could do, and if they were available on the local market.

So, Wayne enrolled in the AgSkilled 2.0 Drones in Agriculture short course to get the necessary information and basic skills to operate a drone. He wanted to participate in an accredited course.

After completing the training, Wayne purchased a mid-level drone to use on his property. Primarily, he has used it to map crop conditions and check pest pressures. And it has also helped him cut down the hours of on-farm vehicle driving.

Kristy Bartrop is a Riverina viticulture technical manager responsible for thousands of hectares of vineyards. She focuses on plant health, organising inputs into the vineyards and managing water accounts and irrigation.

Over two interactive days, Kristy road-tested the AgSkilled 2.0 Grapevine Integrated Pest and Disease Management course for her vineyard operations team.

By investing in training for her team, Kristy wants them to have the skills and confidence to move into higher and more secure roles in the future. In addition, by upskilling her workforce, Kristy anticipates significant economic and environmental benefits for the business through more targeted management strategies.

As an agronomist, Tim Brooker from Wee Waa knows how important crop protection is in the cotton industry. He has lots of experience in the field, and knows there is always more to learn – new methods and latest products.

So, Tim took up a AgSkilled 2.0 Cotton Pest Management two-day course to keep up with the latest advancements in the field. The short course has helped Tim to be more confident going into next season, and it was a valuable way for him to get to know the other participants and build his professional networks.

Having access to short, relevant courses that can be applied straight into a person’s role, like the Cotton Pest Management short course, gets Tim’s recommendation.

Former construction manager Josh Hardes signed up for the one-day AgSkilled 2.0 Introduction to Pruning for Grapevines course on the advice of his company’s consulting viticulturist.

In this course, Josh learned the why, when, and how of grapevine pruning, including spur and cane techniques to boost vine health and longevity. As a result, he is more informed, more confident and has the skills to do the job.

And having had a successful experience with this short course, Josh is signing up for all the AgSkilled 2.0 viticulture short courses. Next year, he also hopes to enrol in a Certificate III in Viticulture.

With new technologies bringing advancements to the ways farmers farm, Jeremy Borowski, a partner in a sizeable mixed-family farming business, was keen to explore the latest drone technology.

So, Jeremy enrolled in the Drones in Agriculture one-day on-farm workshop with short pre-course online support work. He found that the introductory course demonstrated how easy it is to use a drone and confirmed the potential of the technology on-farm.

Beyond their use in precision grains cropping, Jeremy has also found drones are an excellent tool for their livestock business – helping to find and muster stock on his large property.