Revised Training Day date for the next Greenhouse Crop Technician's Course

Our next Greenhouse Crop Technician's Course now has a revised date for starting of Monday the 27th of October.

For further details, please contact Colin Bednarz via colin.bednarz@chisholm.edu.au or via phone contact at 03 5990 7162 

International Horticultural Congress 2014

This week the 29th International Horticultural Congress has been taking place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre  in Queensland, Australia.

The event itself is one of the largest Horticultural conferences in the world, with delegates  coming from all corners of the world.

Staff member Tony Bundock was invited to give a presentation at the Horticultural Congress on the topic of 'Fostering industry participation in the provision of resources for technical training for the modern greenhouse industry'.

Tony also co wrote a paper for this presentation with the chairman of the industry steering group - Geoff Connellan.

 'It was a great opportunity to attend the conference and showcase what we have been doing with the Chisholm training greenhouse to a global audience,' said Tony. 

Further details of the conference can be found at wwwihc2014.org

More training dates announced for our courses.

This week we are pleased to publish the remaining training dates for our popular industry based training courses for 2014.

Our Greenhouse Crop Technician's Course is a 4.5 day course that covers a wide range of basic growing issues, and is unique in that it interacts closely with the use of the Priva Integro / Connext climate management system.

Participants gain first hand experience in using the Priva system as part of their studies as each student has their own computer terminal to use, and operate.This is made possible via the fact that we have 11 additional site licences for our own system. The students can interact with the system and get a really good feel for both navigation and operation of a live system.

Our next course is scheduled to commence on Monday the 8th of September, followed by two further courses commencing on Monday the 13th of October, and the last one for the year on Monday the 24th of November. Details of the September course are listed below.

For new growers looking to enter the industry or gain a better insight in to the area of Tomato growing, our one day Introduction to Commercial Tomato Growing Course provides a highly suitable training day. 

The course covers a wide range of topics that are related to Tomato growing and also allows the participants to undertake a close inspection of the De Ruiter 'Living Proof' growing trial that we host at the Cranbourne Campus.

This is a theoretical and practically integrated course that allows participants to gain hands on skills in both the crop and climate management areas as well as theoretical skills to complement these practical applications.   

Our next course is scheduled to commence on Monday the 15th of September followed by a further course on Monday the 17th of November. Details of the September course are listed below:-

 

Finally, we will also be running our one day Introduction to Computerised Greenhouse Control course. This training day allows the participants to interact closely with the use of the Priva Integro / Connext climate management system, as well as using a Priva Maximizer system for part of the study.

This course is designed for participants that want to learn more about computerised climate management, and for those who are considering installing such systems.

As with out Greenhouse Crop Technician's Course, the participants gain first hand experience in using the Priva system as part of their studies as each student has their own computer terminal to use, and operate.This is made possible via the fact that we have 11 additional site licences for our own system. The students can interact with the system and get a really good feel for both navigation and operation of a live system.

Our next course is scheduled to commence on Monday the 1st of September, followed by two further courses commencing on Tuesday the 28th of October, and the last one for the year on Monday the 1st of December. Details of the September course are listed below:-

 

For enrolment and further details of all courses, 

please contact Tony Bundock via email at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

International Training Opportunity for our Trainee!

Our Certificate 4 trainee, Michael McLachlan is set to participate in the Protected Cropping Australia study tour to America, Canada and Mexico in October of this year.

 

 

 Chisholm Trainee - Michael McLachlan

Michael's participation in this event has been facilitated by the Hydroponic Farmers Federation of Victoria. The HFF initially purchased a position on the PCA tour, and then raffled the position off at their recent conference in Mulwala, New South Wales.

Initially the raffle was actually won by Chisholm staff member Tony Bundock, who has kindly donated the prize to Michael. 

'There is no doubt that the trip would have been a great opportunity to see progressive horticulture in that region, but I strongly believe that the future of our industry lies with the younger members of the horticultural community. Michael will certainly learn a great deal on this tour which will aid him in progressing his career and knowledge' said Tony.

When first told about the trip, Michael was convinced at first that it was all a joke. 'The boss has a strong sense of humour, so I thought he was winding me up! However, I'm pretty happy to discover it's for real!' said Michael.

Michael and the rest of the PCA delegation leave for America on the 1st of October and return on the 17th of October.

As part of his trip Michael will be updating a blog showcasing all the things he will be seeing, so look out for his reports!

Greenhouse Crop Technician's Course

The next Greenhouse Crop Technician's Course is scheduled to commence in one weeks time. 

There are limited spaces left on this course, so if you want to participate, contact Tony via tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

Winter in Melbourne

A beautiful day in Melbourne today with great light levels. Growers in Europe would love  their winter days to be like this!

 

 June in the Chisholm Greenhouse.....

Out with the old - before in with the new

Like many growers, we are curently busy with pulling out our old Tomato crop, and will be frantically preparing for the arrival of the new plants in a couple of weeks time. 

Our fantastic Certificate III Horticulture students put in an amazing effort today to clear our larger compartment of all of the old foliage and growing slabs, before we commence the cleaning process tomorrow.

 

The task commences!

The green waste has all gone to a recycling depot, and we will be milling up our old growing slabs for secondary use as a mulch.

 

Getting there.....

 

Preparing for washing....

Our new crop will feature a wide range of De Ruiter Tomato varieties as we continue to develop the 'Living Prooof Centre' concept with De Ruiter Seeds. We'll update the blog with more pictures when the new plants are in!

 

Haifa Coffs Harbour Seminar Report

This week we ran the Haifa Fertilizer seminar in Coffs Harbour. The event itself was staged at the Woolgoolga Bowling Club which provided a first rate venue for the seminar.

Haifa's Shaul Gilan explains the issues relating to balanced fertiliser mixes

The event was well attended with 21 delegates from a range of enterprises that included Tomato producers through to Berry producers, 

The main delivery of the course was made by Shaul Gilan and Peter Anderson of Haifa, and the seminar focused on the technical aspects of fertiliser choice and use, and in particular, the need to formulate recipes that not only meet specific fertilizer values, but also provide a 'balanced' recipe in terms of +ve and -ve ions.

Chisholm's Tony Bundock provided an overview of the use of technology and equipment that is now available to growers for fertigation purposes in both protected and open crop growing.

Chisholm's Tony Bundock shows how EC rates in drip irrigation can be reduced via a radiation influence using a computerised control system

Further events are planned for Virginia, SA, Bundaberg, QLD, and a repeat seminar in Melbourne, VIC later on in the year. 

These events will be advertised via this blog site and our mailing lists.

Coff's Harbour Haifa Seminar

 

The Haifa Fertilizer seminar is now only a week away! To secure your position at this event, please register with Tony Bundock either via e mail or landline.

Greenhouse Technician's Course

This week we have been hosting 11 students from industry as they participated in our Greenhouse Technician's Course.

The participants were from South Australia, Regional and Metropolitan Victoria, and undertook the four and a half day course at the Cranbourne Campus.

The course itself is aligned to the Diploma Level National Competency - Manage a Controlled Growing Environment - and saw all of the students studying the factors that have to be considered when controlling a growing environment, and then utilizing the Priva Integro / Connext system to both monitor and implement changing climatic conditions.

Exploring the Priva system.......

 

'The course itself is limited to 11 participants so that every student has their own computer with the Priva Integro/Connext system to work with' said course co-ordinator, Tony Bundock. The hands on approach on the computer as well as access to the live cropping area makes for a great learning environment for the students' said Tony.

As well as the on site theoretical and practical activities, the participants also visited the Flavorite Tomato farm as well as observing the large range of water treatment equipment that Chisholm has within its Water Training Centre.

The course itself covers a wide range of topics and the next course is scheduled for Monday the 28th of July. Further details of our next course are posted below.

Perth Haifa Seminar

Last week we ran the first of our interstate seminars in Perth, WA. The event was kindly hosted by Trandos Hydroponics who provided a first class venue for the event.

The seminar was presented by Shaul Gilan and Peter Anderson of Haifa, and the target audiance was made up of a combination of growers and fertiliser suppliers.

The seminar looked at providing the participants with an overview of the various elements used in soluble fertilizer recipes, and how to calculate values for the various elements. 

Once everyone had grasped the mathematics - well we all did in the end!, then there was a demonstration of the applicable software to ease such calculations.

The seminar also provided a great opportunity for the participants to interact with the presenters and gain more detailed information that could be translated back to their home locations.

Our next seminar is due to be delivered in Coffs Harbour on Tuesday the 3rd of June - to secure your plaxce at this event, please e mail Tony Bundock via:- tony.bundock@chisholm.eduu.au

Chisholm Staff member Tony Bundock and some of the course participants

 

Haifa Staff member Shaul Gilan and 'The men in black' from Mirco Fertilizers!

Haifa Staff member Peter Anderson and course participants

ABC Rural Interview now online!

We were recently paid a visit by Jeremy of the ABC Rural program, who conducted an interview with Glasshouse Manager Tony Bundock, as well as two of our students - Michael McLachlan and Graeme Elsworth.

The following link has all the details and pictures as well as a link to the interview itself. 

Feel free to see and hear all the details at:-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-14/agriculture-studies-goes-to-the-glasshouse/5388346.

Richmond venue now confirmed for Haifa Seminar

The second of our interstate Haifa Fertilizer seminars is now confirmed for Tuesday the 13th of May, 2014.

The seminar itself will be held at the Western Sydney Institute, at their Richmond Campus. This located at the corner of Blacktown Road and Campus Drive, Blacktown, Richmond, NSW 2753.

We are expecting a strong response to this event, so please contact Tony Bundock either via phone on 03 5990 7163 or e mail tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au to secure your registration.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event in May!

Interstate Training Opportunities

Chisholm Institute of TAFE in conjunction with Haifa Fertilisers, will be running a series of 5 interstate training roadshows to service the needs of the National hydroponic growing industry.

At this stage we are planning to run the roadshows across the following dates:-
Perth – Week commencing 5th May
Sydney – Week commencing 12th May
Coffs Harbour – Week commencing 2nd June
Adelaide – Week commencing 1st September
Bundaberg – Week commencing 15th September

Each roadshow will include a one day course on Fertilizer mix and nutrient solution calculations for Hydroponics and soil less media. The fertilizer course content is listed below in our Perth event flyer. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the technical aspects of this area from some of the leading agronomists in the industry.

In addition to this event, we will also be delivering additional training courses for:-
1. New entrants to hydroponic growing
2. Those growers who wish to learn more about the inclusion of technology in to their crop   growing
3. Onsite training for Priva Connext and Integro users who wish to increase their 
    understanding of using these systems. 

For further details, please contact Tony Bundock via e mail on tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au 

Greenhouse Crop Technicians Course

This week we are proud to announce the development of our latest training initiative.

We are now taking enrollments for our Greenhouse Crop Technicians Course. This is a four and a half day technical course that focuses on both the theoretical and practical elements required to operate a modern greenhouse facility. The course is designed for both existing growers and prospective new entrants to the industry, and will be delivered in the National Precision Growing Centre. 

The course will allow participants to undertake both hands on and theoretical work as part of the study program and as we have 'live' crops to hand this makes for a very interactive training course. The course itself is scheduled to start on Monday the 26th of May and details are listed below. 

For further details, please contact Tony Bundock via e mail at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

 

Replanting and overseas travel

Our staff members have been busy on both sides of the equator this week. Our new trainee -  Michael McLachlan, and staff member Doug Oldaker worked hard with De Ruiter staff members Aart Slobb and Josip Balint to replant our number one compartment last Friday. All plant material was propagated and grafted by Trandos Hydroponic Growers who once again proved their mastery of the propagation process by supplying some high quality plants

 The 'Winter' crop gets established.

The plants are currently sitting on the Grodan slabs as we exert a generative influence on them. They will be placed on the planting holes in approximately two weeks time. We have a mixture of varieties as part of the De Ruiter trialing program which brings its own set of challenges to the growing process.

 Our trainee, Michael, is getting a taste for heights as he undertakes the task of stringing! This is now Michael's third week with us and he is already proving himself to be a valuable asset to the staff.

 New Trainee Michael in action

Staff member Tony Bundock has been in Vietnam as part of an International project with Chisholm. The project itself has been developing a training agreement with the Vietnamese Government to introduce Australian vocational qualifications in to the workforce in Vietnam. The project saw Tony working with Simon Gazia of industry partner Lab Tech Training, to investigate current training and production facilities. Plant propagation by tissue culture in Vietnam is a popular method and a course has now been devised that will train students in both Laboratory technology techniques as well as modern growing and greenhouse techniques.

 Tissue culture in Da Lat - Vietnam

All parties were required to collaborate and reach an agreed training course which was signed off by the Vietnamese Government. The next stage of the project will see fifteen Vietnamese teachers coming to Melbourne in May to undertake specialized training in both the laboratory technology and controlled environment growing areas.

 Tony Bundock and Simon Gazia with members of the Vietnamese Trade Congress

What a busy week!

We have had  pretty full on week in terms of training and activity at the National Precision Growing Centre.

Our Certificate 3 students completed the cleaning of Compartment one and the Grodan slabs have been laid out in preparation for wetting up and planting of our 'Winter' crop next week.

Cleaned and ready to go!

As you can see, the students have made a fantastic job of cleaning up the house, and they will be involved in the planting out process next week.

On Tuesday we hosted 11 industry participants for a full days training in our 'Introduction to Commercial Tomato Production' course. The day was a very fast paced day of training and was designed to be a 'knowledge grab' for all of the students. Each participant also went home with a USB brimming with information to assist them in developing their knowledge after the course.

Owing to the strong demand for this course we are now planning a further course next month - dates will be advertised the week after next.

We also had a visit from Grodan propagation adviser Hans van Herk who conducted a seminar on Tomato propagation on Wednesday evening. This was a really informative session and was greatly appreciated by the delegates that attended.

Finally, our glasshouse manager is off on his travels again, and this time Tony Bundock will be visiting Vietnam as part of a large training program that Chisholm Institute are developing with the Vietnamese government. Tony will be away for a week and will be leaving the replanting exercise to staff member Colin Bednarz and the Certificate three students - we are in safe hands!  

Practical (and not so glamorous) training!

Our new Certificate 3 Horticulture students started their course this week, and were hard at work on day four.

This week we have started clearing out our 'Winter' Tomato crop in preparation for re planting. The cleaning out operation is a little earlier than usual but this is to allow us to make some exciting new changes within the compartment - more on this as it develops!

All of the students were enthusiastic participants in this particularly dirty job, but they will get to do the 'fun' side of planting and establishing the new crop. 

The next stage is to wash the compartment from top to bottom as we enter the sterilization phase of the operation.

 

Making a start...

 Getting there.....

 

Happy band of workers....

Introduction to Commercial Tomato Crop Production

 

Our training year is now up and running and one of the first courses we are proud to announce is the 'Introduction to Commercial Crop Production' course.

This course is designed for the new entrant or 'novice' grower who wants to get to the basics of growing a Tomato crop.

The course has a theoretical and practical component and is ideal for those who want to broaden their knowledge.

There are limited places for this course, so if you wish to participate, please contact Tony Bundock via e mail or phone.

Welcome to the New Year!

2014 promises to be a very interesting year for us here at the National Precision Growing Centre with a raft of new initiatives to assist the industry in training.

Priva training will be one of our major focusses this year, with our Priva endorsed trainer - Tony Bundock - compiling a busy schedule of both on and off campus events.

Our popular 'Introduction to Computerised Climate Management' courses will be running throughout the year at the Cranbourne Campus, and we will also be running courses for more specialised users of Priva products.

New for this year are the 'Maximise your Maximiser' and 'Intelligent use of Integro (Connext)' courses. Dates for these courses will be appearing in the next two weeks so keep an eye on the blog site for further details!

So that we can service the wider industry, we will also be delivering these courses interstate. Our plan is to develop a number of 'roadshows' that will enable us to deliver this training in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Past experience has shown us that many growers are keen to enter in to this specialised training but the costs of flying staff around the country make it financially impossible for many to attend. By taking the training to the clients we are looking to provide a more cost effective way of providing this service to growers.

As part of our commitment as a Priva training centre, we are also working closely with Priva NL to develop the Priva accreditation system. The concept behind this project is that many of us use Priva computers as part of our daily routines, but there is no benchmark to determine the level of skill that individuals have in using Priva products. By having an acccreditation process, industry practitioners will be able to have their skills recognised against an endorsed set of competency standards that will not only highlight their ability, but act as part of an 'industry passport' when applying for future career positions. 

On top of our Priva courses, we will also be looking to follow the 'roadshow' concept with a range of training inititiatives. These will include introductory courses for those growers who are new to the industry and want to start growing hydroponically. The courses will look at some of the basic elements of developing a Precision Growing approach to growing, and will highlight the potential benefits to growers who want to 'get out of the soil'.

Following on from the huge success of our Haifa Fertilizer seminar, we will also be developing training options with Haifa to take the seminar series on the road as well. This course is a real eye opener for any grower that wants to improve his or her ability in fertilizer management.

For new entrants to the industry, we are now taking enrolments for both our Certificate III and Certificate IV courses in Production Horticulture. Both of these courses have a high degree of focus on the commercial production of greenhouse vegetables, and students spend a large proportion of their time in practical applications to enable them to be 'job ready' at the end of the course.

We will be posting details of all these courses as they are finalised, but if you want any further information in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact Tony Bundock via e mail at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au