Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit covers the process of providing assistance to others in maintaining agricultural crops and defines the standard required to: prepare machinery, equipment and tools to maintain crops; assist with cropping duties including weed control, pest and disease control, crop nutrition and paddock maintenance; report the presence of weeds, pests and disease in crops; record the details of crop maintenance.

Application of the unit 

This unit applies to working under routine supervision with intermittent checking. The work undertaken is usually within established routines, methods and procedures.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Prepare for agricultural crop maintenance operations

1.1. Instructions about crop maintenance activities are interpreted and clarified with the supervisor.

1.2. Machinery, equipment and tools are selected and prepared for the task being undertaken.

1.3. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) hazards are identified, risks assessed and reported to the supervisor.

1.4. The environmental implications of the crop maintenance plan are identified and discussed with the supervisor.

1.5. Suitable personal protective equipment is selected, used and maintained.

2. Prepare for crop maintenance operations

2.1. Machinery and vehicles are fuelled and routine checks are made for oil levels, tyre pressures, water levels and greasing points.

2.2. Instructions are received concerning location of the day's work, special operating instructions or work procedures.

3. Carry out maintenance operations

3.1. Assistance is provided with the crop weed control program.

3.2. Assistance is provided with the crop pest and disease control program.

3.3. Assistance is provided with the crop nutrition program.

3.4. Assistance is provided with paddock maintenance duties.

3.5. Assistance is provided with irrigation duties where appropriate.

4. Complete maintenance operation

4.1. Tools and equipment are cleaned and sterilised according to the manufacturer's specifications, enterprise procedures and regulations.

4.2. All containers, leftover fluids, waste and debris are disposed of safely and appropriately in accordance with enterprise requirements.

4.3. All required workplace records are completed accurately and promptly in accordance with enterprise requirements.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• identify hazards and follow safety directions at work
• participate in teams and contribute to team objectives
• communicate with team members and supervisor
• read and interpret a range of workplace information
• calibrate equipment
• measure quantities of treatment
• operate machinery to manufacturer's specifications and enterprise procedures
• safely apply appropriate agricultural chemicals
• use literacy skills to follow sequenced written instructions and record information accurately and legibly
• use oral communication skills/language competence to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation including questioning, active listening, asking for clarification and seeking advice from supervisor
• use numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record routine workplace measures
• use interpersonal skills to relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities.

Required knowledge 

• operations of a range of cropping machinery
• the importance of correct timing and procedures for crop maintenance
• weed control in crops
• pest and disease control
• crop nutrition
• environmental impacts of crop maintenance
• methods of waste disposal causing minimal impact on the environment.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy holistically all of the requirements of the performance criteria and required skills and knowledge and include achievement of the following:

• prepare machinery, equipment and tools to maintain crops
• assist with cropping duties including weed control, pest and disease control, crop nutrition and paddock maintenance
• report the presence of weeds, pests and disease in crops
• record the details of crop maintenance.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Competency requires the application of work practices under work conditions. Selection and use of resources for some worksites may differ due to the regional or enterprise circumstances.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole.

Agricultural crops may include:

• canola
• wheat
• hay
• barley
• oats
• rice
• triticale
• maize
• millet
• chickpeas
• cotton
• faba beans
• lucerne
• lupins
• pigeon peas
• sorghum
• soybean
• sugar
• sunflower
• other crops grown as part of a broadacre mixed farming enterprise not specifically named as horticultural crops.

Crop maintenance activities may include:

• soil preparation
• weed and pest control
• crop nutrition
• irrigation
• sowing.

Unit sector 

Broadacre cropping

Co-requisite units 

Competency field