•
BASIS TRAINING
•
THE
VEGETABLE
FARMER •
MAY 2018
awareness, allowing them to
have greater input into the
agronomy of their crops and an
improved level of dialogue with
their agronomist. They also
want tomake improvements in
their enterprise efficiency and
performance. In addition there
is an element of personal
development, allied to the fact
that many farmmanager jobs
are now only open to people
with BASIS & FACTS
qualifications.”
For Jonathan, it was a desire
to be able to take on agronomy
which prompted him to take
the Crop Protection Certificate:
“I wanted to be able to do the
agronomy on our farm, rather
than relying on someone else
whomay only be able
to come once a week
for example. We want
to be able to assess
things every day, and I
alsowanted to learn
how to grow the crops
better.” However, there
were other benefits to
the course, which took
place over four blocks
of three days. “A three-
day revision block in
April saw us head onto
farms for some in-field
work. This was a great
way to see exactly what
we’d be doing in the
exam and get to see
the farm and chemical
store too” he added.
Then the examwas
spread over two days.”
“The core content of
all BASIS courses is
quite similar, but compared to
our arable option, the Field
Vegetable version is more
intense as most of the content
is delivered in themonths of
January & February,” says
Simon.
As well as the technical
knowledge and achieving an
industry recognised
qualification, Jonathan says
there were other benefits to
the course. “You attend a
course and there are ten other
people there, oftenworking in
different sectors of the
vegetable industry, and you
learn how they do things, share
stories andmake contacts;
which is really beneficial,” he
added. “This gives you the
10
BASIS examinations include a large practical
element [BASIS].
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opportunity to learnwhat other
people have tried, together
withwhat’s failed for them and
what’s worked. I learnt a lot
and really enjoyed the process.
“There is a cost to the
training, but it was so valuable
I’d do it again and I’d definitely
recommend it to other
growers. I could have done the
arable course, but I think the
vegetable training enabledme
tomeet more people from a
wider variety of sectors and
hear how they operate.”
Since gaining his Certificate in
Crop Protection (Vegetables),
Jonathan has gone on to do
other BASIS courses, including
the Soil &Water Management
Certificate, which he completed
the following year; FACTS (the
Fertiliser Certification & Training
Scheme); and Nutrient
Management Planning, which
he has just completed. On
average around half of those
who obtain a Certificate in
Crop Protection also go on to
study for FACTS. “I took the
Nutrient Management Planning
course in December and then
completed the exam at BASIS
headquarters in January this
year,” explained Jonathan. “I’ve
done it as an advanced
module, so it doesn’t have to
count towards the BASIS
Diploma.”
He is also complimentary
about the vegetable courses
held at the University of Lincoln
and has done all of his BASIS
training there. “Simon runs the
course very well, which is why I
keep going back,” he says.
For his part, Simon Goodger,
says that it is important to
establish that candidates have
the appropriate depth and
quality of field-based
experience and he normally
recommends two years of
practical experience. “They also
need the support of a BASIS
qualified agronomist to help
with application of the
classroom-based theory to in-
field practice. Generally
speaking, candidates perform
better when they have the full
support of their agronomist
andmy experience is that most
agronomists take a positive
view in relation to their clients
embarking on BASIS training.
“The technical awareness
gained on the course can lead
to on-farm improvements in
areas such as product selection
and application timings, which
may then lead to improved
crop performance,” he adds.
“BASIS-qualified growers also
tend to bemore innovative and
prepared try new agronomic
techniques. Feedback indicates
that they can develop a
different and oftenmore
fruitful relationshipwith their
agronomist. For instance, the
grower may assume
responsibility for the field
walking, thenmeet-upwith the
agronomist for more detailed
technical and strategic
discussions, while raised
awareness and understanding
of pesticide-related legislation
and regulations can lead to
improvements in on-farm
compliance.”
