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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Prepare for crop harvesting
   • The crop to be harvested and the requirements and procedures to assure crop quality are identified according to enterprise work procedures
   • Crop maturity is determined by experience, specification charts, aids or devices and according to client, enterprise and industry quality assurance specifications
   • Suitable weather conditions for picking are established according to enterprise work procedures
   • Tools, equipment and machinery are selected according to harvest requirements and enterprise work procedures
   • Pre-operational and safety checks are carried out on tools, equipment and machinery according to manufacturers specifications and enterprise work procedures
   • Workplace health and safety (WHS) hazards are identified, risks assessed, controls implemented and reported to the supervisor
   • Suitable safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are selected, used and maintained
2. Co-ordinate harvesting activities
   • Seasonal labour is informed of the harvest plan/strategy
   • Basic training is undertaken to ensure that the crop is harvested according to company quality requirements
   • Harvest staff are allocated daily work tasks
   • Work program allows for contingencies caused by weather or other interruptions to harvest activities
   • The harvest is monitored and changes to deployment of staff are made accordingly
3. Monitor crop quality throughout harvest
   • Harvesting procedures and the harvested crop comply with client, enterprise and industry quality assurance specifications
   • The crop is handled carefully to prevent damage according to enterprise work procedures
   • Sorting and grading of the crop complies with client, enterprise and industry quality assurance specifications
   • Crop storage minimises postharvest deterioration according to enterprise work procedures
   • The crop is transported with minimum damage according to enterprise work procedures
   • Picking tallies or harvest yields are calculated and recorded according to enterprise work procedures
4. Deliver crop to specified destination
   • Delivery details including quantity, timing and destination are confirmed according to enterprise work procedures
   • Crop is delivered with damage levels that are within client, enterprise and industry quality assurance specifications
   • Delivered crop complies with client, enterprise and industry quality assurance specifications
   • Delivery documentation is completed accurately according to enterprise work procedures

Required Skills

Required skills Required skills include

communicate ideas and information to work team members supervisors contractors and clients utilise proforma reporting analysis and work procedure documents and interpret quality specifications measure materials interpret harvest specifications and schedules calculate tallies working hours yields and quality results coordinate work group contractors and own activities use interpersonal skills to work with and relate to people from a range of cultural social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

Required knowledge Required knowledge includes

recognition of the maturity parameters of a range of crops enterprise quality procedures and characteristics of a crop relative to varying market requirements grading characteristics of each crop the importance of maintaining quality of produce including cooling requirements and quick transport from field to processing areas industry wage rates and conditions contractors services conditions and rates licensing requirements for use of forklifts trucks and machinery the effect of adverse climatic conditions eg rain hail extreme wind or very high ultraviolet radiation which may prevent or impede crop harvesting operations or severely influence the time taken to complete the tasks necessary to fulfil the operation

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package
Overview of assessment
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit	The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy holistically all of the requirements of the performance criteria and required skills and knowledge and include achievement of the following prepare for crop harvesting activities maintain harvest requirements coordinate a work group monitor crop quality
Context of and specific resources for assessment	Competency requires the application of work practices under work conditions Selection and use of resources for some worksites may differ due to the regional or enterprise circumstances

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Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Crops may include:	horticultural crops including those for human consumption
Horticultural crops may include:	all fruit vegetables herbs flowers foliage bulbs tubers nuts fungi wild harvest plants oils olives grains seeds hops specialised crops not specifically named as broad acre crops

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