Elements and Performance Criteria
- Determine requirements for an agricultural crop establishment program
- Select plant varieties that are best suited to soil, climate, seasonal conditions and marketing goals
- Determine required irrigation schedules where required for each soil and crop type based on assessed water requirements, rainfall and evapotranspiration data
- Assess nutrient requirements for crops to determine appropriate fertiliser program
- Assess technology to ensure most efficient performance of operations
- Identify and maintain budgetary constraints
- Develop a crop establishment program appropriate to the crop production plan
- Identify work health and safety hazards and develop control strategies in establishing agricultural crops
- Implement crop maintenance
- Implement strategic grazing to reduce or eradicate areas of weed infestation
- Determine fertiliser applications and rates appropriate to crop type and applied accordingly
- Determine crop nutrient requirements to ensure sustainability and achievement of yield
- Monitor soil moisture and adjust watering schedule if appropriate
- Determine and implement processes to minimise waste and soil degradation appropriately
- Monitor an agricultural crop through to harvest
- Determine longer term trends in weed, pest and disease incidence, and implement any necessary changes to control measures
- Monitor soil structure and erosion and determine necessary changes to cultural practices, grazing management and drainage
- Check and maintain irrigation and drainage systems
- Monitor grazing management to ensure crop production levels
- Monitor crop maturity and undertake harvesting to meet marketing and production targets
- Implement the harvest strategy
- Follow the harvesting plan to apply pre-harvest pest control treatments where weather patterns permit
- Ensure adherence to all work health and safety and environmental requirements throughout the application of preharvest treatments and throughout the harvest
- Ensure that all required labour and equipment is ready and available at the scheduled place and time
- Commence the harvest at the scheduled time
- Follow the order of the harvest described in the harvesting plan
- Monitor harvesting operations and adjust to allow for weather, contracting and equipment maintenance needs
- Instruct truck, tractor and harvester operators on procedures to deliver each crop load at maximum quality
- Record production