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Crops Courses

Course Listings

Agronomy III Root Crops

Learn to Produce Dozens of Different Types of Root Crops - Enhance the Quality and Quantity

There are root vegetables like potatoes and carrots which have been widely grown around the world for a very long time, others that have been grown mostly in certain regions, and a range of others such as sweet potato which are being grown increasingly across a wider range of regions around the world.

Commercial Vegetable Production

Work in the Vegetable Production Industry  or Set up a Vegetable Growing Farm

Develop skills and knowledge required for commercial vegetable production, including a variety of production methods.

This is a very sound 100 hour foundation course in general vegetable production. Note: Do not undertake Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing as well as this. The two courses do overlap.

Crops I (Outdoor Plant Production)

All You Need to Know About Growing Crops

This comprehensive introduction to crop growing covers a huge amount of ground. Learn about different types of crop systems, how to establish and nurture crops, and techniques used in traditional and organic growing systems. 

Ideal for managing a market garden, orchard, small or large farm, hobby farm, and other enterprises.

This is an Online Course but you can study by distance education using paper based notes or have the course burnt to zip drive

 

Food Processing and Technology

Learn to Plan and Manage Food Processing  on or off Farm: Produce Saleable Food Products

This course will open up a whole new world to many who study it. It can provide insights into food processing methods which though common practice, are simply not in the consciousness of most people who eat those foods.

By gaining a broader and deeper understanding of what happens in the food industry, your awareness and capacity to work across the many and varied parts of this industry will greatly improve.

Forage Management

Learn how to sustainably manage forage!

Forage plants are consumed by grazing or browsing livestock. These plants may be cultivated as crops or occur naturally.

Learn how to:

  • Select the right plants for forage crop production
  • Establish, regenerate, and maintain forage crops
  • Control livestock's access to forage plants
  • Preserve forage as hay and silage

 

Hydroponics I

Study Hydroponics - A Great Introductory Course!

Develop a sound understanding of the theory and practice of hydroponics.

This is a course for growers, farm workers, hydroponic shop staff, horticulturists or anyone else seeking to lay a sound foundation in hydroponic growing. It introduces you to a wide range of systems, simple and complex, and how to grow many different types of horticulturally valuable crops, such as cut flowers and vegetables.

 

Irrigation - Crops


Water is a precious and often scarce resource. Using it effectively can make all the difference to whether a crop is profitable or not. This ten lesson course develops an understanding of how plants use water and how to deliver it more effectively to the plant. Learn about the design, installation, maintenance, operation and evaluation of simple irrigation systems.

 

This course is similar to BHT210 and BAG213, but focuses on irrigation systems for row crops (eg. vegetables & cut flowers) and orchards.

Mushroom Production

Learn How to Grow Mushrooms - on a Farm or at Home

Here is a comprehensive 8 lesson course covering how to grow mushrooms on either a small or large scale. Growing, harvesting, marketing, storage, pest and diseases and even ways of cooking and using mushrooms are covered. This course deals with various types but concentrates on Agaricus.  

Qualification - Advanced Certificate In Applied Management (Crops)

Train to be a Farm Manager or for a Horticultural Production Career

This accredited course, covers both the skills required to manage a horticultural farm (e.g. market garden, orchard and also to developing knowledge in the identification, growing, processing and marketing crops and crop related products. 

These are the five core units common to all streams of this Advanced Certificate: Communications, Management, Business Operations, Office Practices and Marketing), and three specialist units of study relating to crop production. This course is internationally accredited through I.A.R.C.

Qualification - Advanced Diploma In Horticulture (Crops)

Lay a Solid Foundation for a Career in the Horticultural Crops Industry

  • As a grower, manager, farmer
  • As a technician, consultant
  • In allied trades (marketing, business or management)

This course is flexible, intense and broad based offering opportunity to focus on crops which you have a greater interest in or need to learn about. It's equivalent to what would be 3 years of study at many colleges or universities. There is a very strong emphasis on 'applied studies': developing your capacity to apply science, management and horticultural knowledge to real world problems of the world both today and into the future.

Qualification - Certificate In Horticulture (Crops)

Gain a Sound Understanding of Horticulture and also Crop Growing

For people working, or intending to work, in orchards or market gardens. This course is similar to other VHT002 horticulture certificates in its introductory (core) units, but devotes 50% of the course to topics specifically related to crop production.

The Core Units comprise fifteen lessons and are divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction to Plants - taxonomy, plant families, pressing plants, basic botany.
2. Plant Culture - planting, potting, plant selection, pruning, irrigation, tools and machinery.
3. Soils and Nutrition - soil structure, chemistry, nutrition, potting media.
4. Plant Identification and Use - seed harvesting and storage, germination treatments, cuttings, etc.
5. Pests, Diseases and Weeds - identification and treatment (chemical and non-chemical)

Accredited through International Accreditation & recognition Council

Soil Management - Crops

Learn How Soils Affect Crop Growth

This course is similar to our other soil management courses, but relates specifically to crops.

Soil is the foundation for profitable horticulture. There are many things that can be wrong with your soil: poor nutrition, chemical imbalance, structural problems such as drainage, and lack of microbial life  are some examples of problems that can beset your soil. Often minor and relatively inexpensive treatments can make a huge difference to productivity, but the problems need to be identified first, and that requires a solid understanding of soil theory and management practice.

Learn about soil properties and requirements in agriculture and how to apply that knowledge at a management level.