Review of Australian Agriculture

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2008:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

On completion of this subject, students should have gained a practical understanding of the management operations and options of summer and autumn components of the production cycle of the main agricultural industries of south-eastern Australia, and be conversant with the limitations, constraints and impacts which influence these. Topics covered include:

• history and development of Australian agriculture;

• annual production cycle;

• sustainability of these industries from economic, social, environmental and system-wide perspectives;

• introduction to and practice of the basic farm operational skills as they apply to the various agricultural enterprises and protected areas, including broadacre, dairy, production horticulture and pigs, and areas of conservation significance;

• an understanding of the interactions throughout the value chain, including the input, production processing and retailing sector;

• an introduction to the importance of trade and issues relating to international trade of agricultural and related products; and

• the place of agriculture in rural communities and factors affecting sustainability.

Group learning activities relating to enterprise practices will cover critical selection criteria (performance and efficiency measurements, machinery operations cultivation practices, harvesting distributing, handling, processing and storage).

Students will be involved in practical work on the Dookie Estate and visits to appropriate industry facilities that will reflect the operations at different levels of the value chain.

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This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

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