Elements and Performance Criteria

The Range of Variables explains the contexts within which the performance and knowledge requirements of this standard may be assessed. The scope of variables chosen in training and assessment requirements may depend on the work situations available.

What characteristic of the products might be accessed?
If it is an annual or perennial product, experimental product, yield, financial return, frequency of rotation, harvesting requirements, prevalence of pests and disease, and pest and disease control.

To what does the term products refer?
To the crops, stock and/or products under production or refinement/manufacture in the organisation.

What characteristics of the land under production should be accessed?
Accessibility, topography, moisture content, pH levels, nutrient levels, salinity, erosion, drainage, land use history, germination rates, and pest and disease prevalence.

What historical data might be assessed in the planning process?
Crop/stock history, disease and pest history, previous yield data, pesticide use, financial returns, weather patterns, market information, existence and suitability of previous infrastructure.

What infrastructure might be planned?
In addition to equipment, machinery and vehicles, the organisations infrastructure may include buildings, sheds, shelters, stock yards, stock handling structures, fences, water supply systems, roads, tracks, soil conservation works, irrigation and drainage channels, silage pits and/or grain and fodder storage, dams, monitoring systems, and information technology systems.

What other organisational planning processes might provide input to infrastructure planning?
Activities such as land-use, production systems, production process and strategic planning processes.

What might improvements or innovations relate to?
To equipment, machinery, materials, practices, and systems - including those relating to environmental, OHS, and animal welfare practices and/or related equipment might be researched and implemented.

What requirements might the organisation have in relation to production processes?
Requirements may relate to the preferred approach/policy in regard to animal welfare, environmental management, waste management, and OHS. Legislation and regulation may also impact on, or restrict production.

What actions could be taken to eliminate or minimise OHS risk?
The range of actions are both systemic and at an operational level. These are listed below.

What solutions might exist for bridging the gaps between required and existing infrastructure?
Reassigning, refitting or modifying existing infrastructure.

Are financial indicators the only component of a cost benefit analysis?
Costs and benefits are considered in terms of all impacts on the performance of the farm and must include animal welfare, environmental, and OHS issues, as well as the financial ones.

How might infrastructure or componentry be obtained?
Through transactions, which may include purchase, lease, hire, rental, barter, or loan.

What preparation work may be required for utilising existing infrastructure?
Obtaining relevant permits and permissions, or stripping, emptying, or disassembling them.

What might be required when works are planned?
Appropriate permits and permissions are in place and appropriate people are consulted.

What environmental and waste management requirements should be considered?
Construction activity, as well as the improvement itself, might put the local environment at risk of off-site contamination such as the fouling of surface or ground water bodies with solid material, and/or nutrients, including acid discharges from acid sulfate soils. Any change to the natural lie of the land may affect run-off and drainage to increase erosion or the acidity of the soil, and the way in which effluent is managed to pollute surface and underground catchments. Removal of vegetation and ground cover may affect wind or water erosion and/or an increase in salinity.

What should be considered when developing infrastructure maintenance programs?
Scheduling issues, affect on production, availability of staff, costs, seasonal variances, weather patterns, and other operations occurring in the organisation.

Why might reallocations of land be required?
For road or path building, siting buildings, dam construction, run-off and drainage works.

What guidelines and regulations should be considered during reallocations of land?
The required permissions and permits are obtained; environmental guidelines, animal welfare regulations and OHS regulations are adhered to.

When might unplanned maintenance be required?
To rectify machinery or plant breakdown, and damage caused by storm, stock or vandals.

What data might be analysed against the production plan?
Information pertaining to costs, production levels, labour and overhead inputs, environmental data and OHS data.

What would be included in the report?
Issues and details such as, any difficulties or issues faced, the methods used for treatment, impacts on environmental and OHS, any recommendations for future plans, results, costs, and any available data analysis.

What record keeping systems might be utilized?
These may include the storage devices, the procedures, operators who enter and update the data, and guidelines and policy for the maintenance and migration of data.

What characteristic of the products might be accessed?
If it is an annual or perennial product, experimental product, yield, financial return, frequency of rotation, harvesting requirements, prevalence of pests and disease, and pest and disease control.

To what does the term products refer?
To the crops, stock and/or products under production or refinement/manufacture in the organisation.

What characteristics of the land under production should be accessed?
Accessibility, topography, moisture content, pH levels, nutrient levels, salinity, erosion, drainage, land use history, germination rates, and pest and disease prevalence.

What historical data might be assessed in the planning process?
Crop/stock history, disease and pest history, previous yield data, pesticide use, financial returns, weather patterns, market information, existence and suitability of previous infrastructure.

What infrastructure might be planned?
In addition to equipment, machinery and vehicles, the organisations infrastructure may include buildings, sheds, shelters, stock yards, stock handling structures, fences, water supply systems, roads, tracks, soil conservation works, irrigation and drainage channels, silage pits and/or grain and fodder storage, dams, monitoring systems, and information technology systems.

What other organisational planning processes might provide input to infrastructure planning?
Activities such as land-use, production systems, production process and strategic planning processes.

What might improvements or innovations relate to?
To equipment, machinery, materials, practices, and systems - including those relating to environmental, OHS, and animal welfare practices and/or related equipment might be researched and implemented.

What requirements might the organisation have in relation to production processes?
Requirements may relate to the preferred approach/policy in regard to animal welfare, environmental management, waste management, and OHS. Legislation and regulation may also impact on, or restrict production.

What actions could be taken to eliminate or minimise OHS risk?
The range of actions are both systemic and at an operational level. These are listed below.

What solutions might exist for bridging the gaps between required and existing infrastructure?
Reassigning, refitting or modifying existing infrastructure.

Are financial indicators the only component of a cost benefit analysis?
Costs and benefits are considered in terms of all impacts on the performance of the farm and must include animal welfare, environmental, and OHS issues, as well as the financial ones.

How might infrastructure or componentry be obtained?
Through transactions, which may include purchase, lease, hire, rental, barter, or loan.

What preparation work may be required for utilising existing infrastructure?
Obtaining relevant permits and permissions, or stripping, emptying, or disassembling them.

What might be required when works are planned?
Appropriate permits and permissions are in place and appropriate people are consulted.

What environmental and waste management requirements should be considered?
Construction activity, as well as the improvement itself, might put the local environment at risk of off-site contamination such as the fouling of surface or ground water bodies with solid material, and/or nutrients, including acid discharges from acid sulfate soils. Any change to the natural lie of the land may affect run-off and drainage to increase erosion or the acidity of the soil, and the way in which effluent is managed to pollute surface and underground catchments. Removal of vegetation and ground cover may affect wind or water erosion and/or an increase in salinity.

What should be considered when developing infrastructure maintenance programs?
Scheduling issues, affect on production, availability of staff, costs, seasonal variances, weather patterns, and other operations occurring in the organisation.

Why might reallocations of land be required?
For road or path building, siting buildings, dam construction, run-off and drainage works.

What guidelines and regulations should be considered during reallocations of land?
The required permissions and permits are obtained; environmental guidelines, animal welfare regulations and OHS regulations are adhered to.

When might unplanned maintenance be required?
To rectify machinery or plant breakdown, and damage caused by storm, stock or vandals.

What data might be analysed against the production plan?
Information pertaining to costs, production levels, labour and overhead inputs, environmental data and OHS data.

What would be included in the report?
Issues and details such as, any difficulties or issues faced, the methods used for treatment, impacts on environmental and OHS, any recommendations for future plans, results, costs, and any available data analysis.

What record keeping systems might be utilized?
These may include the storage devices, the procedures, operators who enter and update the data, and guidelines and policy for the maintenance and migration of data.

What evidence is required to demonstrate competence for this standard as a whole?
Competence in planning and managing infrastructure requirements requires evidence that appropriate and sound infrastructure is installed for the most efficient production and environmentally sound results.
The skills and knowledge required to plan and manage infrastructure requirements must be transferable to a different work environment. For example, across a range of products and organisation sizes.
What specific knowledge is needed to achieve the performance criteria?

Knowledge and understanding are essential to apply this standard in the workplace, to transfer the skills to other contexts, and to deal with unplanned events. The knowledge requirements for this competency standard are listed below:

property planning, financial management and enterprise budgeting systems and procedures
environmental controls and codes of practice available to the organisation
relevant legislation and regulations relating to OHS, contractor engagement, chemical use and application, and vehicle and plant use
sound management practices and processes to minimise noise odours and debris from production processes
sustainable land use principles and practices applicable in the region
relevant legislation and regulations relating to soil and water degradation issues, animal health and welfare, and chemical use.

What specific skills are needed to achieve the performance criteria?

To achieve the performance criteria, appropriate literacy and numeracy levels as well as some complementary skills are required. These include the ability to:

interpret monitored information on production processes
interpret, analyse and extract information from a range sources such as professional literature, legal documents, discussions, and workshops
identify, build and use network and support groups
recognise potential opportunities to use or install more environmentally efficient systems or equipment
assess, then adopt, profitable innovations
prepare written plans and procedures for implementation by others
observe, identify and react appropriately to environmental implications and occupational OHS hazards.

Are there other competency standards that could be assessed with this one?
This competency standard

Essential Assessment Information
There is essential information about

What specific knowledge is needed to achieve the performance criteria?

Knowledge and understanding are essential to apply this standard in the workplace, to transfer the skills to other contexts, and to deal with unplanned events. The knowledge requirements for this competency standard are listed below:

property planning, financial management and enterprise budgeting systems and procedures
environmental controls and codes of practice available to the organisation
relevant legislation and regulations relating to OHS, contractor engagement, chemical use and application, and vehicle and plant use
sound management practices and processes to minimise noise odours and debris from production processes
sustainable land use principles and practices applicable in the region
relevant legislation and regulations relating to soil and water degradation issues, animal health and welfare, and chemical use.

What specific skills are needed to achieve the performance criteria?

To achieve the performance criteria, appropriate literacy and numeracy levels as well as some complementary skills are required. These include the ability to:

interpret monitored information on production processes
interpret, analyse and extract information from a range sources such as professional literature, legal documents, discussions, and workshops
identify, build and use network and support groups
recognise potential opportunities to use or install more environmentally efficient systems or equipment
assess, then adopt, profitable innovations
prepare written plans and procedures for implementation by others
observe, identify and react appropriately to environmental implications and occupational OHS hazards.

Are there other competency standards that could be assessed with this one?
This competency standard

Essential Assessment Information
There is essential information about

Communicating ideas and information
By preparing maintenance plans that will be implemented by other people. (3)

Communicating ideas and information
By preparing maintenance plans that will be implemented by other people. (3)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Using the variety of sources available for input to decision-making. (3)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Using the variety of sources available for input to decision-making. (3)

Planning and organising activities
In developing and managing plans for the development and maintenance of infrastructure. (3)

Planning and organising activities
In developing and managing plans for the development and maintenance of infrastructure. (3)

Working with others and in teams
In working with colleagues during input to the range of other planning processes. (2)

Working with others and in teams
In working with colleagues during input to the range of other planning processes. (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
In calculating infrastructure requirements in terms of volumes, distances and times, and in conducting cost benefit analyses. (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
In calculating infrastructure requirements in terms of volumes, distances and times, and in conducting cost benefit analyses. (2)

Solving problems
In recognising where and when amendment is required to plans. (2)

Solving problems
In recognising where and when amendment is required to plans. (2)

Using technology
In operating any necessary equipment for the maintenance activities - communication technology, calculating equipment, measuring equipment, and word processing/spreadsheeting software. (2)

Using technology
In operating any necessary equipment for the maintenance activities - communication technology, calculating equipment, measuring equipment, and word processing/spreadsheeting software. (2)