Priva Integro version 730 and Priva Office version 4

As part of the ongoing commitment by Priva to support training at Chisholm Institute, Priva's Peter Mos recently upgraded our Integro system to version 730, and we also recieved an upgrade to Priva Office version 4.

The training that Peter delivered highlighted the advantages of the improved working platforms, but we have placed a video link on this blog so that you can gain an overview of the generic improvements Priva have made. The link is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B61O3McKXcM

For further details on these upgrades, please call your local Priva dealer, or feel free to contact us to see first hand how the systems have improved.  

Learning from the Master

This week we hosted a training session for growers who wanted to learn more about managing their glasshouse climates with the Priva Integro climate control computer.

The participants were existing users of Integro, and Peter Mos of Priva was on hand to deliver the training.

Peter Mos

Although Peter is renowned for his skills in energy management, he also proved to be an extremely competent trainer in the general issues that surround climate management. The course participants were treated to a wealth of information from Peter that provided a great insight in to how to get more from individual systems.

Taking in the knowledge.................

Whilst most growers know what they know, there is also a train of thought that most growers may not know what they don't know! The course was fundamentally designed to 'open the eyes' of the growers so that they could realise more potential from their systems. And the final outcome certainly proved this to be the case.

There are now plans to deliver more of these joint Priva / Chisholm training courses to equip growers with knowledge in a short time frame, that can then be translated back to the workplace.

Further details will be placed on the blog, but if you are interested in specific issues relating to Priva training, please contact Tony via e mail at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

Course participants from left to right

Ian Willert (Boomaroo), Steve Biemond (Biemond Nurseries), Peter Mos (Priva),

Matt Russell (Rijk Zwaan), Tony Bundock (Chisholm), Tony Jamieson (Tomato Brothers, Colin Bednarz (The Patch Nursery), Sharna Smith (Tomato Brothers),

Andrew Potter (P'Petual Holdings), Derek Clarke (Blumberg Flowers)



Priva Dealer and Grower Training

This week we have a pretty busy schedule in terms of facilitating training for the wider industry. 

We have been  joined by Peter Mos of Priva NL, for three days, who is delivering two days of specialised training to Australian Priva dealers.

Peter will be spending time informing the dealers of the latest developments in both Priva Office and the latest Priva operating system for Priva Integro -this being version 730.

During his stay, Peter will be upgrading the Chisholm system to the latest versions of both Priva Office and Integro so that future students at Chisholm can learn on the latest versions of this climate management system. 


On Wednesday Peter will be facilitating a training day for growers, so that existing users can build on their knowledge and expand their capabilities with their systems. This promises to be a really beneficially day for all participants.


We still have a couple of places left for this course, so contact us on either 03 5990 7163 or via tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au if you want to join this training session.

Changing you Priva Computer's clock back from Daylight saving

For those of you with Priva climate control systems, you will need to change the computer clock this weekend to align with the end of Daylight savings. The following is some advice from Priva of how to achieve this:-

In the computer and Priva Office, there are some tips and tricks. This is a tip for changing time of the clock in the Integro or Connext by changing summer to winter and reverse.

We have attached a movie and explanation of the S2-command. In Priva Office a grower can choose to follow the time change. The movie shows how to connect the computer to the PC with Priva Office. The movie only changes the time clock of the computer. The starting times of periods in the controls stay on the already installed time. Some growers want this, but if a grower also wants to move all his controls with one hour, he can use the S2 Command from the terminal (monochrome or from Priva Office Terminal).

With the S2 command from the standard terminal, also all the time settings for the controls are changed one hour, which we think is what most of the growers want…

 We hope this advice is useful to you.

Computerised Climate Control training with Priva expert - Peter Mos

As part of Chisholm Institutes's training partnership with Priva NL, we are proud to announce a specialised day of training with Priva expert Peter Mos.

Peter will be travelling to Australia to deliver this course, and will also spend time with individual growers so that they can benefit from his expertise and skills on their individual systems.

The course that will be run at Chisholm on Wednesday the 18th of April, and has been designed to enable participants to gain knowledge on how to:-

· Get more out of their installation

· Use their computer at an optimum level

· Save energy where possible

· Create a perfect climate for plant growth

Peter Mos is one of Priva’s top climate computer advisors, and the day promises to highly benefical for all participants.

Further details on the course are listed below, and the Chisholm contact is Paul Saunders. He can be reached on e mail at paul.saunders@chisholm.edu.au or on mobile 0408 823 373.

If you are interested in having Peter visit your establishment for a personal consultation, please contact Marcus van Heyst on 03 8795 7750

Our new Trainee...........................................

As regular followers to the blog will have seen, we recently advertised for a trainee to undertake a one year study / practical placement with Chisholm Institute in the glasshouse. The successful candidate was Rebecca Meikle.

Rebecca

Prior to undertaking her traineeship, Rebecca was working at Sages's Cottage, and has now made the transition form a Conservation & Land Management background to a Controlled Environment one.

" I really love my new job, and the level of technology associated with glasshouse crop growing. It's certainly very different from my old job!" said Rebecca. 'My aim is to absorb as much knowledge as I can and to learn a variety of new skills."

Rebecca comes to us from ATEP - Apprenticeship and Traineeship Employment Partners, and they are able to work with growers to utilise individuals within similar programmes to build a more skilled workforce. Further details can be found at http://atep.org.au/

Rebecca will be with us until 2013, at which point she is hoping to move on to a more challenging position with a major grower.

Love My Salad Partnership

As part of our industry partnership program, Chisholm Institute of TAFE have established close links with international seed house, Rijk Zwaan under the Love My Salad banner.

This initiative has seen both the Hospitality and the Horticultural departments of Chisholm working with Rijk Zwaan to promote both the growing, preperation and eating of salads as part of a healthy living lifestyle.

Details can be found at http://www.lovemysalad.com/salad-lover/chisholm-tafe-horticultural-school.

 

Hosting the Grodan Seminar

Yesterday the Chisholm Glasshouse Training centre hosted a seminar run by industry leaders Grodan and AIS Greenworks, which focused on the propagation techniques associated with Tomatoes. 

The seminar featured industry identity Hans van Herk, who is a crop technical advisor with Grodan, who gave a highly informative address to a variety of industry members that included representatives from Boomaroo, Chisholm Institute, Duralite, Flavorite, Gippsland Glasshouse Growers, Grodan, Moriatis, Protected Cropping Australia, Trandos Hydroponic Growers, and Withcott Seedlings.

Hans van Herk

Within his presentation Hans covered a variety of topics that included the technical aspects of propagation plug and block options, seed sowing and germination improvement techniques, and plant grafting, and general growing techniques that can be utilised for precision growing.

Also on hand to provide advice was Grodan's Andy Lee, who is currently over from the United Kingdom. Andy was able to complement Hans presentation, a fact which made the session even more beneficial for the participants.

Further grower seminars are planned for 2012, and we will keep you posted when these are happening.

Research tour visits the Chisholm Glasshouse

This week we hosted a visit from the Department of Primary Industries, facilitated by Ross Clarke Manager, Market Development North Asia & Russia, Farm Services Victoria.

This saw Dr Akira Tanaka, who is from the Kaiteki Institute of Japan, visit us. The  Kaiteki Institute is a global research institute focused on meeting 21st century challenges in energy, the environment, and healthcare, and was established by Mitshubishi Chemicals. 

During his visit, Dr Tanaka spent some time being shown how the Chisholm glasshouse irrigation system both recycles and sterilizes its irrigation water, and also utilises a supply of Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water from the adjacent Water Centre, which treats Class A water from the Carrum Sewage Treatment plant via our own R.O. machine, and then utilises this water for irrigation in the glasshouse. 

Dr Tanaka was also given a guided tour of the Priva Climate control and labour tracking systems that the Chisholm Glasshouse utilises on a daily basis.

Pictured above from left to right:-

Wayne Beasy - Chisholm Business Development Consultant, 

Dr Akira Tanaka - Kaiteki Institute,  

Tony Bundock – Chisholm Senior Trainer – Precision Growing,

Ross Clarke - Manager, Market Development North Asia & Russia, DPI

Traineeship Opportunity

Chisholm Institute is offering a one year traineeship opportunity for an individual to undertake both practical and theoretical experience in the glasshouse. All the details are listed below:-