THE University of Melbourne’s Dookie Campus will receive $11M in funding from the State Government, through Agriculture Victoria, for upgrades to the campus.
The 2440ha Dookie campus has been an important and influential centre for training Victoria’s farmers and agricultural scientists for over 130 years.
This funding boost aims to help the University to train a new generation of agriculturalists, in both the science and practice of agriculture, by expanding staff, student and conference accommodation to facilitate the expected growth in campus activities over the next decade.
This will include practical, on-farm education in the Bachelor of Agriculture and the Master of Agricultural Sciences, research projects and postgraduate student training for higher degrees, continuing professional development courses for Victorian farmers, the hosting of conferences and workshops and vocational training in areas of demand such as shearing.
“The Dookie campus is a unique asset of the University of Melbourne. The campus includes a major mixed farming operation with broadacre crops, a robotic dairy, orchards and a winery. It hosts hundreds of students each year and has expert on-campus researchers and strong and growing links with industry,” Professor John Fazakerley, Dean of the Melbourne University Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, said.
“This funding boost will allow the University to increase its training of the agricultural scientists, agribusiness entrepreneurs, farmers, veterinarians and food scientists of the future.”
The Dookie campus provides a ‘home away from home’ for its students, who benefit from excellent pastoral care and a calm, rural environment.
It also offers an important pathway for regional students to the University of Melbourne through the Diploma in General Studies program taught at the campus, and production animal training for the University’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students.
Further investment in the campus facilitates the University to expand research at the site, trial innovative farming systems and test new ways to sustainably intensify Victorian agriculture, helping to secure Victoria’s agricultural productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability into the future.
