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Skills for Controlled Environment Horticulture
from www.aces.edu
The Protected Cropping Industry
• Modern face of horticulture• Fastest growing food producing sector in
Australia• Equivalent to 20% of total value of vegetable
and flower production• Combining all sectors industry contributes
around $1 billion to the national economy• Employs over 10,000+ people throughout
Australia• Industry expanding at 4 – 6% per annum
How it Works
FERTILIZER CONCENTRATE TANKS
B C DA
ACID TANK
pH
E.C. pH SENSORS
COMPUTER
WaterIn
PUMP PUMP
MIXINGTANK
DOSING PUMPS
The Problem with Protected Cropping
• Unique production systems
• Heavily technology based
• Current programs focus on soil-based production
• Lack of training imposes limits on industry growth and profitability
Pathways to Production
• Horticulture Aust Ltd (HAL) funded
• AHGA, NSW DPI & GOTAFE
• Took existing units and modified
• Created new units• Identified additional skill
sets• Meetings with growers
provided feedback
Skills for Controlled Environment Horticulture• Skills Victoria
funded• Formed advisory
group• Brought together
group of Bellarine Peninsula growers
• Identified priorities for training
• Pilot program
National Greenhouse Waste-Water Recycling Workshop • HAL funded• Partnered with consultants, Graeme
Smith & Rick Donnan• Series of 1 day workshops delivered
to key areas across 6 states
Recirculating System
FreshWater
Nutrients and acid
Growing System
BatchTank
@ 1.5 EC
DrainTank
Sterilisation
RecycleTank
Pre EC ProbeControls 3-way Valve
to 1.1 EC
@ 2.6 EC
3.7 EC
30%
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