This subject contains a 3 day Compulsory Residential School.
Residential school is a Study Tour which looks at: market outlets, including wholesale markets, auctions, retail outlets; vegetable production systems including protected cultivation, open field cultivation; hydroponic systems for vegetable growing; plant management systems; irrigation, nutrition and media; assessment of vegetable growing businesses; assessment of vegetable growing equipment; study of harvest determination; pre- and postharvest handling systems for vegetables; plant protection options for vegetables, including IPM systems; organic vegetable production; visiting a wide range of vegetable crop enterprises to study the broad range of products within a variety of climatic regions; research institutes.
All items in the residential school are supplementary to online materials and assessments, and are assessed in assignments and exam.
While the schedule changes each year, according to availablility of hosts, a typical program is as follows:
Ausveg leader and field vegetable producer: sweetcorn, cauliflowers, cabbages
Frozen and processed vegetable factory
UWS, Richmond: Postharvest research in vegetables
DPI, Richmond: Vegetable production systems; SmartFarms project
Large scale nursery: propagation facility
Vegetable breeding
Fresh produce wholesaler: wholesale produce, fresh-cut produce, processing, re-packing, distribution
Sydney Vegetable & Flower Markets tour
Sydney Markets: Overview presentation
Freshcare Code of Practice: protocols; audits; certification
DPI, Ourimbah: Asian vegetables, IPM, organics
Greenhouse and hydroponic herbs, vegetables
Mushroom producer