The Agriculture & Animal Science Department delivers programs in Animal Technology, Industrial Skills, Equine Studies, Aquaculture, Natural Resources, Viticulture and Winemaking, Production Horticulture and Agriculture and operates two working farms , a sixty hectare Thoroughbred Stud and a 250 hectare broadacre farm , four vineyards and two wineries for the delivery of practical training, one being a sixty hectare Thoroughbred Stud and Vineyard, the other a 250 hectare broadacre farm.
NMIT Equine Studies
These fully operational properties generally concentrate on the production side of agriculture and horticulture and cover beef, deer, viticulture, sheep, cropping, herbs, aquaculture and horses
The Agriculture and Animal Science Department is located at NMIT's Epping campus and offers training to industry in the following areas:
- Wine making, wine marketing and vineyard management
- Freshwater aquaculture and hatchery management, including indoor recirculating and outdoor pond systems
- Beef management and production
- Herb production and management
- Deer and goat farming
- Beekeeping
- Sheep
- Equine Studies and farriery
- Natural Resources.
The training programs offered by the department cover certificate and diploma levels in Agriculture, Viticulture, Civil Construction, Transport, Distribution and Warehousing, Equine Studies, Animal Technology and Natural Resources.
Training programs are designed in consultation with industry and often delivered by industry experts, including practicing farmers and managers. NMIT also utilises the additional resources of industry by delivering training on-site or through field trips to selected farms and vineyards.
The department has been at the cutting edge of ultrasound scanning of beef cattle, fertiliser field trials and cell grazing for a number of years.
These programs have enabled NMIT staff to train practicing agriculturalists in the latest trends and hence improve the productive capacity of their land.
The Agriculture and Animal Science Department is a major player in the Equine Studies industry offering training in Horse Studies and Breeding, Stablehand/Trackrider, Farriery and Racing.
NMIT Viticulture & Winemaking
Northern Lodge
Located 40 kilometres north of Melbourne in the beautiful foothills of Victoria's Great Dividing Range is NMIT's 320 hectare farm, Northern Lodge at Eden Park.
The stud provides dedicated training for two of Victoria's prospering industries; thoroughbred racing and viticulture.
Northern Lodge Stud
Since its inception in 1993, Northern Lodge has gone from being eroded land worth $450,000 to a spectacular 60 hectare stud valued in excess of $4 million.
Its lush pastures, first-rate stables, horse walker, a covering barn, menage, teasing facilities, a 1400 metre running track, a sand roll and state-of-the-art scanning equipment make Northern Lodge one of the finest thoroughbred training properties in Australia.
NMIT Lavendar Plantations
Eden Park Vineyard
NMIT's ten hectare vineyard has flourished since it was first planted in 1996, reviving the once thriving wine industry in the Plenty Valley.
Fourteen grape varieties are grown at Northern Lodge including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
While adding to their own skills and knowledge, the work of viticulture and winemaking students also contributes towards the NMIT's goal of developing Eden Park into a productive vineyard. NMIT celebrated the bottling of its first vintage in 1998.
Yan Yean
NMIT's second fully operational farming property is located 25 kilometres north of Melbourne at Yan Yean. The 200 hectare property is dedicated to training students in cattle and deer farming, aquaculture and pasture production.
NMIT Beef Production
Viticulture
With two gold medals , three silver medals and thirty four bronze medals for its award-winning wines, NMIT has established its wine label - ACW - as a prestigious and high quality drop in the Australian wine industry.
NMIT first established an eight-hectare vineyard in 1995 at Eden Park, which produces not only about 30,000 bottles of red and white wine a year, but also enables its students to work on a commercial vineyard where they can receive the finest education and training in a range of diverse programs including viticulture, winemaking, wine evaluation and wine marketing.
Intensive short courses are offered as well as longer study programs from certificate through to diploma level. A vocational degree will also be on offer in the near future.
In 2001, NMIT received a State Government grant of $7.4m to further develop its wine education programs and it established another 28-hectare vineyard at its Ararat campus in Ararat in regional Victoria as well as a two-hectare vineyard at Yarra Glen where students can obtain practical work experience as part of their comprehensive training.
NMIT Agriculture & Animal Science
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