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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Gather information on the requirements of the client
   • Identify basis of fertiliser or soil ameliorant requirement
   • Evaluate planned use of fertiliser or soil ameliorant against legislative requirements, local productivity and environmental guidelines and food safety regulations
   • Take individual soil, plant tissue and water samples for each customer
   • Provide customer with relevant sampling kits and advice on sampling procedures where appropriate
2. Provide information on nutrient management program
   • Provide information and referrals about the fertiliser and soil ameliorant products including work health and safety, biosecurity, food safety and environmental and sustainability issues inline with industry codes of practice and enterprise policies
   • Recommend use of nutrient management tools where necessary
   • Suggest changes to application method or timing if necessary
   • Research and update knowledge and understanding of fertilisers, soil, ameliorants and related products from authoritative sources
   • Research local enterprise and district requirements for fertilisers, soil, ameliorants and related products
3. Provide appropriate service or product
   • Refer customer to a specialist adviser if required
   • Provide customer with information regarding transporting, storing and handling fertiliser and soil ameliorants
   • Arrange transport, handling and storage of fertiliser and soil ameliorants where required
   • Supply fertiliser and soil ameliorants that meet legislative requirements and productivity, food safety, biosecurity and environmental guidelines
   • Record details of transaction

Range Statement

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Performance Evidence

The candidate must be assessed on their ability to integrate and apply the performance requirements of this unit in a workplace setting. Performance must be demonstrated consistently over time and in a suitable range of contexts.

The candidate must provide evidence that they can:

take soil, plant tissue and water samples

use and explain use of nutrient management tools

provide information on the relationship between soil types, water, crops, fertiliser and soil ameliorant use

follow enterprise work health and safety policies

follow enterprise biosecurity and sustainability policies

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Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:

crop nutrient requirements - both macro and micro nutrients

effect of soil ameliorants in dispersion and adjustment for acidity or alkalinity (pH)

fertiliser and soil ameliorant application methods, including timing and frequency of fertiliser and soil ameliorant application to minimise losses

fertiliser and soil ameliorants availability and relative costs

industry production regimes and fertiliser practices

sources of technical information

major nutrient management risks of leach, run-off, load, blow, mine and how these impact on the environment

nutrient management advisory tools and processes used by advisers in making a crop nutrition recommendation

organisational work health and safety and environmental procedures, practices and policies in operating sampling equipment

packaging and dispatch procedures for samples

physical, chemical and biological properties related to a healthy soil and environment,

sampling tools and methods, including soil, plant tissue and water tests; yield monitoring; and electrical conductivity survey

impact of climate on soil productivity

environmental impacts including soil structural decline, fertility decline, acidification and salinity, erosion, loss of organic matter, water quality, fertiliser and soil ameliorant impurities, and greenhouse gas emissions

work health and safety legislation

use, transport, handling and storage requirements of fertiliser and soil ameliorants in terms of legislation, codes of practice, environmental stewardship and human safety

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