Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Fertiliser and soil ameliorant environmental stewardship involves:
commitment to actions in line with their effect on the overall environmental outcome as distinct from just the effects of individual components
duty of care for the environmental effects of fertiliser and soil ameliorants that goes beyond a person’s direct area of responsibility
A nutrient management plan consists of:
consideration of environmental risks and their priority (likelihood/consequence)
management options to address risks
process for ongoing monitoring and management of plant nutrition and soil fertility program
strategies to maintain soil fertility and product quantity and quality
understanding of nutrient requirements of region, farm or paddock
Environmentally significant features may include:
biological properties of soil and applied organic products such as:
beneficial macro and microorganisms
disease potential
chemical properties of soil such as:
acid/alkaline (pH) balance
carbonate content
cations
nutrient content such as nitrogen
organic matter
phosphorus
potassium
salinity
sulphur
trace elements
physical properties of soil such as:
colour
depth of root zone and plant available water
soil stability
structure
texture
water-holding capacity
climatic features such as:
annual diurnal temperature patterns
annual precipitation
prevailing winds
rainfall intensity
seasonal and annual rainfall pattern
wind strength
fertilisers that are inorganic or organic solids
fertilisers that are fluids applied directly to soil or to plant via foliar sprays such as:
liquefied gases
solutions
suspensions
location of major water bodies and underground water sources
native vegetation in vicinity of proposed plant nutrition or soil fertility program
nitrogen input from leguminous green manure crops or leguminous pastures
properties of fertilisers and soil ameliorants that are environmentally significant such as:
chemical composition
impurity concentration
nutrient content
particle size
particle size distribution
solubility
slope and aspect
soil ameliorants such as gypsum
liming products including:
dolomite
mixtures of lime and magnesium oxide
any by-product used to change soil acid/alkaline (pH) balance or soil calcium level
biosolids, animal manures and compost
surface water drainage patterns
Agronomic and operational activities associated with environmental risks may include:
agronomic activities such as:
crop/pasture production at levels that deplete soil nutrients or adversely affect soil health
form of nutrient
growth of legume species
nutrient placement
rate of nutrient applied
timing of nutrient application
operational activities such as:
clean-up of spills
application and disposal of animal manures
fertiliser application activities including:
application as solid or fluid products
application in irrigation water
broadcast or band application
direct injection of anhydrous ammonia
siting of permanent and temporary fertiliser/ amendment storage
storage and handling on farm
Environmental risk categories include:
blow (airborne losses)
leach (nutrient leaching or change in chemical composition through the soil profile)
load (nutrient loading in soil, water, air or food)
mine (mining soil nutrient by non-maintenance rate strategies)
run-off (nutrient transport in surface water)
An adviser may evaluate and prioritise environmental risks and impacts based on:
environmental consequence
likelihood of occurrence
Management options appropriate in managing environmental risks may include:
activities directly related to fertiliser use such as:
changing product
method of application
rate applied
timing
broader range of agricultural management options such as:
changing cultivation practices
land use planning
rotation management
Nutrient management tools used to monitor the effectiveness of decisions may include:
nutrient budgeting
paddock record keeping
soil, plant tissue and water analysis
yield maps
Monitoring results consulted to improve efficiency and effectiveness of plant nutrition and soil fertility programs may include:
monitoring results after implementation of recommendations such as:
nutrient and water use efficiency data, including:
changes to nutrient and water use efficiency after implementation of recommendations
changes to production requirements
environmental changes
Aspects of fertiliser transport, handling and storage that may raise awareness of environmental issues include:
issues contained in industry codes of practice such as:
Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia
Australian Fertiliser Services Association

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 require 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:
identify environmental parameters at risk
assess magnitude of risk and establish likelihood
assess potential impact on environmental parameters and assign severity rating
develop soil fertility report and fertiliser recommendation with consideration of environmental stewardship principles
communicate recommendation with customer, including methods of assessing outcomes of recommendation
develop a nutrient management plan
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.
Method of assessment
Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the AHC10 Training Package and can be assessed holistically with other units
Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge
Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access, interpret and apply the required knowledge
Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process
Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role
Guidance information for assessment
To ensure consistency of performance, competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.