Full course listing

NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), and previously NSW Agriculture, have a proud history of offering education and training to the state's rural sector. The department has responded to changes in the nature of agriculture over more than a hundred years. This program of short courses presented by Murrumbidgee Rural Studies Centre, in conjunction with CB Alexander campus of Tocal College, continues that tradition.

• Courses on training, learning and assessment
• Farm skills
• SMARTtrain® Chemical Accreditation
• Natural resource management
• Agricultural production
• Animal production
• Rural business management
• Aboriginal Rural Training Program

Farm skills

• Fall trees manually - non-production
• Safe tractor operation and maintenance
• Forklift operation
• Conventional fencing (not including electric fencing)
• All-terrain vehicles (ATV) handling
• Trim and cross-cut felled trees (Level II chainsaw operation)
• Bore and windmill service and repair for farmers
• Electric fencing
• Off-road four wheel drive (4x4) training
• Wood chipper operation
• Bore pump and river pump maintenance

Courses on training, learning and assessment

• Elective — Provide training through instruction and demonstration of work skills
• Certificate IV in training and assessment
• Elective — Facilitate group-based learning
• Facilitate learning (skill set)
• Work within the Vocational Education & Training (VET) system (skill set)
• Skills assessment
• Provide assessment services (skill set)
• Elective — Coordinate and facilitate distance-based learning
• Design learning programs

Animal production

• Property-to-property transfer — National Livestock Identification System (NLIS)
• Beef-N-Omics
• Lamb assessment and marketing
• StockAssess^TM
• Better bull buying
• StockSafe^TM - safe responsible livestock handling
• OHS for livestock handlers
• Wean more lambs

Natural resource management

• Farmers' guide to managing climate risk
• Introduction to irrigation management
• Identification and management of native grass pastures for agriculture and conservation
• Prograze^TM abridged
• TopFodder^TM silage
• Environmental management systems (EMS) in agriculture
• Soils and fertilisers
• Rice for profit
• Prograze^TM
• Irrigated lucerne for profit
• Irrigation, Certificate III
• StockPlan®
• Property management planning (PMP) for natural resource management
• LANDSCAN^TM

SMARTtrain® Chemical Accreditation program

In NSW, people who use pesticides in their business or as part of their job must be trained and accredited in how to use those pesticides. Training is required in the use of all types of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, baits, lures and rodenticides (rat poison) etc.

Legislation regulated by the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation stipulates that commercial users of pesticides must be trained and accredited in the use of pesticides. In addition, every 5 years pesticide users will need to demonstrate their competence through workplace evidence and/or assessment. Reaccreditation, or further training with SMARTtrain®, must be completed before the expiry date on your current chemical accreditation card. Please note that you can train at the next higher level of SMARTtrain® at any time within the valid period of your card, and your new SMARTtrain® card will last a further 5 years after successful completion of the course.

The SMARTtrain® Chemical Accreditation Program has a range of training options available to suit all types of pesticide users.

• SMARTtrain® safe use of hazardous substances (Level 2)
• SMARTtrain® Level 3 reaccreditation
• SMARTtrain® OHS risk management on farms (Level 4)
• SMARTtrain® chemical risk management (Level 4)
• SMARTtrain® fumigation on farms
• SMARTtrain® chemical application (Level 3)
• SMARTtrain® weeds and their control
• SMARTtrain® Level 4 reaccreditation
• SMARTtrain® chemical safety (Level 2)

Rural business management

Murrumbidgee Rural Studies Centre presents a series of new workshops for the rural business community. These workshops are designed and delivered by rural business people and are suitable for rural retailers, agribusiness operators, and rural service providers. Designed to assist with growing your business and professional skills, these workshops are held in the Riverina only, providing an excellent opportunity to attend professional development workshops without having to travel too far afield.

Consult the Course calendar for dates and venues, or call MRSC on 1800 628 422 for more information.

• Business structures, leases and sharefarming agreements
• Realise your personal and professional potential: taking control
• Promoting your small farming enterprise
• Retirement, estate and succession planning for farmers
• Managing conflict at work
• 'Growing your rural business' workshop series
• Negotiation skills for farmers
• Effective communication for business owners and managers

Agricultural production

• Getting started with environmental management in viticulture
• Spray applications in viticulture
• Wine grape quality management
• Wine berry sensory assessment
• Grapevine nutrition
• Integrated pest management (IPM) in viticulture
• Crop forecasting for wine grapes
• Water management for grapevines — Research to Practice®

Aboriginal Rural Training Program

The Aboriginal Rural Training Program (ARTP) unit at Yanco has many years of successful experience in providing natural resource skills, rural skills and management skills to Aboriginal communities in remote centres and in larger regional towns and cities. Contact the unit coordinator if you are seeking information on any aspect of rural training for Aboriginal learners. Servicing eastern Australia.

Fees are based on project costs less subsidy where available. Contact the ARTP coordinator on 1800 628 422.

Requests for other courses

The courses listed on our website are scheduled as part of a public program of training. Murrumbidgee Rural Studies Centre conducts courses listed in response to requests from particular enterprises, organisations or communities, and conducts other specialist courses for a range of clients. We have staff specialising in course construction, costing, accreditation and delivery, and we have access to all the department’s research and extension staff. If you believe there exists an area of primary industries or natural resource management which would benefit from training, please contact the Manager, Continuing Education at 1800 628 422.