Farming Courses

Learn how farm produce is marketed by the farmer and the pathway it follows to the consumer. 

• Understand the pathways and processes involved in marketing farm produce.
• Develop marketing opportunities in a more managed and effective way

A successful rural manager also needs to:

• understand unique markets
• know how to capitalize on market forces to maximize business profit

This course develops your ability to analyze and manage marketing problems in an agricultural enterprise. Topics covered include handling produce, promotions, farm marketing strategies, customer relations and much more.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR STUDY AT HOME

Discover the psychology behind animal behaviour.

A course developed and tutored by academics and practitioners from a background in agriculture, veterinary science and wildlife management.

• Gain an understanding of animal behavior and motivation 
• Analyze problem behavior 
• Improve your animal handling skills
• Gain a new perspective on the animals around you

This course provides an excellent foundation for working with animals in any situation: farms, zoos, veterinary practices, pet shops or even in the wild.  The course looks at:

• Genetics and behavior
• Behavior and the environment
• Social behavior
• Instinct and learning
• Handling animals

It also covers: problem behavior and aggression, circadian rhythms, conditioning, learning, animal perception, causes of behavior and much more.

Studying this course will enable students to evaluate behavioural characteristics in animals with which they are in contact.

Introductory studies in the Anatomy and Physiology of Animals

Use this course as a basis to:

• understanding care and/or management of animals in domesticated or wild situations.
• learn about animal biology
• discover how things work within the body
• Learn about the role of physical structures from bones to soft tissues

Knowledge gained from studying this course provides a foundation for anyone who deals with animals, from the farmer or zookeeper to the pet shop proprietor or pet owner, to a zookeeper or wildlife manager.

Learn about the steps involved in diagnosing animal diseases

Understand the composition of range of feeds

This includes pasture, fodder crops, grasses, cereals, seed, and other edible plants.

This course will:

• Explain the role of proteins, vitamins and minerals in animal diets
• Equips you with the skills required to evaluate feeds and feeding
• Enable you to select appropriate feeds
• Determine feed digestibility and nutritional content 
• Apply your knowledge to real farming situations

"I think it is absolutely brilliant. I have never come across such a friendly, helpful staff and am so enjoying my course. I will definitely recommend A.C.S to anybody who wants to study over the net.”T. Sadler

A Solid Introduction to Animal Health Problems

An important aspect of good husbandry is to be able to identify and manage a vast range of diseases and conditions that affect animals. Through completing this course you learn to assess animal health, explain a variety of conditions and identify appropriate treatments or responses to a range of more common complaints or illnesses.

Specific topics include:

• Signs and Symptoms of Diseases
• Disease Classification
• Causes of Disease
• Inflammation
• Fever and Immunity
• Tissue Repair
• Wounds
• Cell changes (e.g. death, cancers)

Note - while there are no pre-requisites for studying this course, it has been developed in conjunction with two complementary courses - Animal Biology (Animal Husbandry I) and Animal Feed & Nutrition (Animal Husbandry III).

While this course has relevance to any type of animal, it focuses on mammals and birds. You will learn about the scope of services offered by animal care services, including in veterinary practices. The course is appropriate to anyone interested in working with animals in different situations including: farm (production) animals, wildlife parks, or veterinary practices.

This is a sound foundation course and designed to cover most of what is found in a typical veterinary assistants course in many countries around the world.

Mariculture  (Marine Aquaculture) 

• Deals with the farming of salt water species of fish, shellfish, seaweed and other marine products
• Learn to plan and manage the farming of a wide variety of marine life
• Self paced study, expert tutors, start anytime, 100 hours of learning to give you a sound foundation in marine aquaculture.

The term “Mariculture” refers to a sub-category of Aquaculture that deals specifically with Marine Aquaculture.

According to the FAO the term “Mariculture” (in its present usage) may be defined as:

“The culture of marine organisms, both plants and animals, in an aquatic medium or environment which may be completely marine (sea), or sea water mixed to various degrees with fresh water. This definition would include both the sea and inland brackish-water areas. These can be freshwater or salt water organisms, or have development phases in both types of waters.”

BEEF CATTLE MANAGEMENT

Analyse and make decisions about the management requirements of beef cattle. 

Beef cattle have a useful and necessary role in agricultural production. Beef provides protein and some minerals and vitamins which are necessary to human health and which balance other nutrients that are obtained from plant foods. Animal protein (meat) contains amino acids which are essential to the growth and development of humans. Beef cattle convert grass and roughage (which can't be eaten by humans) into high quality human food.

Comments from an ACS student: "I find that I can apply my new knowledge directly on the property; all assignments are relative to real life". Chontelle, Australia - Beef Cattle student.

This comprehensive course covers topics such as: Cattle Breeds; Beef Cattle Production Systems; Cattle Breeding; Diseases in Beef Cattle; Nutrition for Beef Cattle; Commercial Herd Management; Feed Lot Management; Stud Herd Management; Management, Economics and Marketing and more.

ONLINE BREEDING ANIMALS COURSE

Plan and implement breeding programs

Plan and implement animal breeding programs using genetic theory, practical applications to daily husbandry practice, and management of animal breeding programs. This course includes a sound introduction to genetics. Relevant to any type of animal. Personal guidance from highly qualified and experienced animal scientists and practitioners. Topics covered include: introduction to genetics; selection; pure breeding; introduction to cross breeding; cross breeding and livestock improvement. using genetic theory, practical applications to daily husbandry practice, and management of animal breeding programs.

Topics covered include:

introduction to genetics; selection; pure breeding; introduction to cross breeding; cross breeding and livestock improvement.

ACS Student comment:

Yes [the course is a valuable learning experience], I am loving it, it relates to all the things I am presently doing with our dogs and sheep and I am finding it extremely useful and have learnt a lot. Love getting my assignments back to see how I went always an exciting moment and then shared around the dinner table that night!!  Zoe Crouch, Aust - Animal Breeding course.

CALF REARING ONLINE COURSE

Avoid costly losses by using correct management procedures

Select and raise calves for specific purposes such as: dairy replacement heifers, veal and stud breeding. Identify and deal with health and other problems that may occur along the way. On successful completion of this course you will be able to independently analyse and make decisions about the requirements of calves. Lessons cover: calving and culling; calving management; health management; rearing systems and calf housing; weaning and post weaning care.

Student Comment:  "I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to raise calves!!" R. Beitlich

Learn more about dairy cattle and dairy breeds.
Increase your success in dairy cattle management.
Excellent course developed by industry experts!

There are real differences among the dairy breeds in size, maturity, fat content of the milk and other important features. However, success in dairying is much more dependent on the management of the farm than on the breed chosen.  The choice of a dairy breed usually depends on one or more of the following:The breeding stock available in the area and the cost of these animals; The adaptability of the selected breed to local conditions such as climate, feed and grazing conditions; The reproductive capacity of the breed and its ability to produce good quality milk, and; Personal preference and past experience of the farmer.

This course aims to help you learn to independently analyse and make decisions about the management requirements of dairy cattle. A very solid foundation course developed in collaboration with industry and by our team of experts (agricultural and animal scientists, veterinary surgeons etc).  

Student Comment: "The course was put together very well. It covered all the important aspects of dairy farming and offered some important practical hands-on information that other courses lacked. I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel now that I have equipped myself to work on a dairy farm." K Mackenzie - Dairy Cattle course.

Topics covered include different dairy breeds, managing anything from one cow to a large herd and dairy products, lactation, breeding of dairy cattle, management of facilities, pests and diseases of dairy cattle and more.

Understand equine behaviour with this great distance learning course

Understand what motivates the behaviour of your horse

The study of equine behaviour provides a foundation for more sensitive and informed care and training of horses. Lessons cover genetics, perception and behaviour, communication and social behaviour, sexual and reproductive behaviour, learning and training and behavioural problems. Anyone who works with horses will get value from completing the course. Horses are large animals in relation to their human trainers and they cannot be trained safely or effectively using brute force. Having a deeper understanding of equine behaviour and intelligence will allow you to minimise the frustration you may often feel when trying to handle your horse.

Student Comment: "[The course] was more indepth than I thought it would be and it was information that I could apply with my own horses. The feedback was very helpful and it was information that could only have been gained from experience with horses. She would always answer any questions that I have and always had something positive and helpful to say!" Paula Grima, Australia - Equine Behaviour course

FARM MANAGEMENT COURSE 

Analyse, diagnose and make decisions related to management of a farm business

The course relates to managing all resources, including; production, staff, physical resources, and natural resources. You will learn to analyse, diagnose and make decisions related to management of a farm business, deal with strategic planning, whole farm planning, and how to prepare a business plan.

The course was developed by John Mason (author of the top selling book "Farm Management", published by Kangaroo Press) together with a team including of agricultural scientists from across the globe.

LEARN FISH FARMING

Study Aquaculture Learn to farm freshwater aquatic animals.

Over the past 20 years aquaculture has grown into a very profitable business for large operations farming salmon and trout, and a few other selected species. The reason for this strong development has been the over exploitation of fisheries around the world resulting in lower numbers of catches in most of the classic fisheries (fishing grounds), coinciding with an increased demand for protein foods from fish and other water animals (crustaceans). According to the FAO report on global aquaculture (2006);

“Aquaculture, probably the fastest growing food-producing sector, now accounts for almost 50 percent of the world’s food fish and is perceived as having the greatest potential to meet the growing demand for aquatic food. Given the projected population growth over the next two decades, it is estimated that at least an additional 40 million tones of aquatic food will be required by 2030 to maintain the current per capita consumption”.

This timely course is primarily concerned with culture and care of fresh water fish and crayfish. Topics covered include production systems, water (e.g. source, purity, flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen), species (especially trout, barramundi and bass), stocking rates, spawning, checking stock, stripping, fertilization, hatching, growth stages, feeding, harvesting and more.

STUDY GOAT HUSBANDRY - DAILY INTAKES - MANAGE A HERD OR CARE FOR PETS 

This goat husbandry course takes you step by step through how to properly care for goats and consider goat production for financial profitable in farming. Relatively hardy animals, they need less interaction and their woolly counterparts. 

Learn to manage and plan horse breeding.

Learn to manage the daily requirements of a horse at grass

Evaluate conformation, understand the importance of dietary requirements to the horse, learn about the horses digestive system and the principles of feeding and watering your horse, use correct grooming procedures, develop appropriate management procedures and broaden existing knowledge of commercial opportunities in the horse world. Manage horses kept on pasture and learn relevant pasture management techniques to maintain productivity and prevent "horse sick" pastures. Improve your ability to handle horses using a range of different procedures.

Student Comment: "I learnt many new skills that are easily applied to day to day runnings" - A. Green

STUDY HORSE MANAGEMENT ONLINE

Develop your horse care knowledge further with this second horse care course

The course develops skills in the management of horses in a wide range of situations, including in particular stables. It still covers aspects of care that are still relevant to the horse at grass.  While this course follows on from Horse Care I, it is not essential to have completed Horse Care I in order to enroll in this course.

The course covers the following topics: feeding and feeds, stabling, shoeing and hoof care, bedding, tack and fitting, and exercise and conditioning.

HOME STUDY ONLINE HORSE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Improve your equine health and welfare knowledge

Learn to manage health and condition of horses in different situations; to identify signs of poor condition, and address those problems appropriately, with an insight into the things that can stress a horse and increase it's susceptibility to problems. Know how to manage situations such as events, travel, and exposure to weather in order to minimise risk.

This course complements Horse Care I & II, but will also stand alone.

Student Comment:

A Foundation course in Hydroponic Supply and Consultancy.

Develop a foundation of skills and knowledge, enabling you to confidently advise customers buying hydroponic supplies.  Provide knowledgeable and informed support  by developing guidelines for the successful culture of plants.

A Course For

• Hydroponic Shop Managers and Staff.
• Hydroponic Equipment and Materials Manufacturers and Suppliers.
  
• Others working with hydroponic growers who need a better knowledge of hydroponics; such as irrigation suppliers, greenhouse suppliers, environmental equipment suppliers.

This course does overlap significantly with Hydroponics I and with Home Hydroponics, and you should avoid doing more than one of those three. Home hydroponics is geared towards the hobbyist and is therefore less intensive academically, whilst Hydroponics I is a more broadly based course.  Hydroponic Supply And Consultancy is written specifically for people who are in a position of supplying services or products to hydroponic growers, both amateur and trade.

Learn to design, install, maintain and operate irrigation systems

This ten lesson short course covers the design, installation, maintenance, operation and evaluation of simple irrigation systems.

This course is similar to our horticulture irrigation courses (BHT210 and BHT304), but focuses on irrigation for agricultural purposes.

Irrigation may enable plants to be grown in a dry climate where it would not otherwise be possible, or it may supplement the existing rainfall and improve growth rates by extending the growth period of the plant, or by ensuring there is adequate moisture during critical periods when the plant is growing most rapidly.

The value of irrigation can vary greatly from year to year depending on the distribution of rainfall during the growth season.

ONLINE COURSE IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT

Design and operate large scale agricultural irrigation systems

This course builds on existing skills in irrigation and is therefore designed for students who have completed Irrigation BAG213 or similar courses. This course will develop students' ability to manage the design and operation of large scale irrigation systems for agricultural applications.

Develop a foundation for a more natural and holistic approach to animal care.

• RECOGNISED BY THE COMPLEMENTARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (CMA)
• Would you like to work and care for animals in a more natural and holistic way?
• Do you want to avoid chemical toxicity and adverse reactions in your pets and children?
• Are you looking for a cleaner and healthier alternative to synthetic chemicals?

Natural Animal Health Care can help you to do this. Learn to care for animals naturally; to optimise their health through the way they are managed (e.g. their feeding). Learn the various ways illness or poor health can be identified and treated with natural therapies such as herbal medicine, tactile therapy, and other natural remedies. The course is relevant to both livestock, wildlife, and domestic pets.

STUDY ORGANIC AGRICULTURE ONLINE

Step forward with organic farming.

In the past organic farm production was often considered as being only for radicals or hippies. Now it is seen as a viable economic move – with benefits to the farm soil, to the environment, and to the purchasers of the products. There are many definitions of organic farming. A commonly accepted definition is “farming without the addition of artificial chemicals”. All kinds of agricultural products are produced organically – vegetables, fruit, grains, meat, dairy, eggs, and fibres such as cotton and wool. Many processed foods are also produced organically. Organic farming has been adopted by some farmers for economic reasons, others for ethical or sustainability concerns. Whatever the reason for going organic, there is no doubt this method of farming is here to stay.

Through this course gain a solid understanding of the systems and management techniques of organic farming for both crops and livestock. Learn to manage both plant and animal production in a more natural and environmentally sensitive way. Develop a sound foundation for understanding how to set up an organic farm, or convert an existing farm to organic practices.

Study Pasture management for livestock production, environmental sustainability, and land rehabilitation

Pastures are critical to many types of farms. The need to establish and maintain pastures is governed by the end result. Historically, the focus of pasture management has been on improving livestock production. In recent times there has been an increased focus on management for environmental sustainability and land restoration. So, while the general nature of this lesson may look at issues involved in pasture management for livestock enterprises, please bear in mind that similar principles apply to selecting plant varieties for land restoration purposes.

 This comprehensive course investigates different pasture types, the structure, growth and development of grasses, grass identification, the establishment of new pastures, the importance of legumes in pastures, selection of pasture types, seed mix, management of existing pastures, native grasslands, weed control, limiting factors, managing stock on pasture, management works.

STUDY PET HEALTH CARE ONLINE

Excellent course for pet owners or anyone involved with a pet supply or service business.

This is valuable training both for people working with animals or for keen pet owners, providing a sound introduction to caring for a wide variety of different pets including dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and amphibians. It covers the general principles of pet care, as they relate to a wide range of different types of pets.

The course complements Animal Care I, but you do not need to have studied Animal Care I in order to study this. It was recently revised with significant additions to course notes.

Learn the skills for successful pig management:

for commercial production, self sufficiency, or a hobby.

A sound foundation course that helps develop a broad understanding of pig biology and production; covering such things as breeding and selection, feeding, diseases, boar management, managing the sow and litter, fattening pigs, record keeping and more.

• Learn to manage your pigs effectively
• Increase your profits
• Learn the best methods for fattening
• Improve your husbandry of sows & litters

Learn to Manage Poultry for Profit, Pleasure or Home Egg Production

Of all livestock enterprises, poultry can be the least expensive and least demanding enterprises to set up. Whether a small flock for home use or a start up commercial farm, you don't need large acreage, and you can start seeing results from production much faster than you might see with other types of animal production. 

Comment from a former ACS Student:

"I work in farm animal welfare (on a chicken campaign).  It didn't make sense to work on a campaign about a subject I knew nothing about.  The amount of research I did for each assignment taught me so much more than I ever could have learned on my own... I would just like to say how much I enjoyed this course and dealing with your school.  I got answers quickly, and help was always available.  You don't always find that in a correspondence school.  My experience has been so positive I will be signing up for another course shortly".  Hindy, UK.

The course covers all aspects of poultry care and management including: Terminology, Breeds, Nutrition, Diseases In Poultry, Layers, Broilers, Incubation, Brooding, Record Keeping, Economics & Marketing. A comprehensive course for both home chicken raising and farm workers.

Learn to manage refrigeration of horticultural and agricultural produce.

Many horticultural and agricultural products can become spoiled because of the internal chemical reactions that can cause ripening, fermentation and the growth of certain moulds and bacteria. These processes can be stopped altogether or slowed down significantly by storage at low temperatures.

Understand the science behind refrigeration. Learn what to cool, chill, refrigerate or freeze and how it is done.

SHEEP HUSBANDRY

Learn the care and management of your flock

Sheep are an important agricultural livestock that are bred for meat and wool worldwide. Careful and informed management of your flock will ensure increased productivity and efficiency. Aimed at professional and amateur graziers, the course provides you with the knowledge to run your sheep effectively and productively and will help you to develop your ability to independently analyse and make decisions about the management requirements of sheep.The course offers you the chance to understand more about the care and management of sheep.

Topics include: breeds; selection and breeding; nutrition; diseases of sheep; commercial flock management; lamb care; wool ;and the marketing of sheep and sheep products.

Gain practical soil management skills

Soil Management is aimed at those wanting to learn about soils and how to improve the quality of soils.  Soil is the foundation for profitable farming. There are many things that can be wrong with soil (eg. poor nutrition, chemical imbalance, structural problems such as drainage, lack of microbial life). Often minor and relatively inexpensive treatments can make a huge difference to productivity, but the problems need to be identified first, and that requires a solid understanding of soil theory and management practice.

Learn about soil properties and their requirements in agriculture, and how to apply that knowledge at a management level. This is a general soil management course involving:  introduction to soils, nutrition, soil physics, chemistry, testing, problems, land degradation, soil management in farms and crops.

Sustainable agriculture is the way of the future

Today the pressure is on for farmers to work towards sustainable systems of farming which produce healthy, nutritious, affordable food and a dependable, secure food supply (without producing a negative impact on the environment). There are many concerns associated with moving a farm toward greater sustainability, these  include environmental, commercial and social considerations. Sustainable farms should protect the environment, preserve open spaces, forests and wildlife and also encourage and conserve biodiversity, plus provide the farmer and farm workers with a good living.

This course is aimed at those who want to help the world move towards the preservation of our natural resources and to maintain the delicate balance of our ecosystems.

Developed by our principal, John Mason, author of the best selling book "Sustainable Agriculture 2nd ed." published by Landlinks Press (CSIRO)   Click here to view an outline of this book

Learn to identify and effectively control weeds.

You will learn about both chemical and non-chemical control methods (e.g. mulching, burning, slashing), the use of spray equipment, and safety procedures which should be followed as well as investigating specific weed control programs and the development of a major weed control program.

This course of study is useful for students who are involved in Landcare groups, land rehabilitation, cropping, grazing, and government weed control operations.