The University Farm is situated 20km from the Hobart campus in the cropping and grape growing area of Cambridge in the Coal River valley. The farm provides excellent teaching and research facilities for the School.
The University’s ‘Cambridge Farm’, comprising 340 hectares, was purchased in 1979 with the School of Agricultural Science taking over full responsibility for management of the farm in 1984.
The ability to use a diverse, commercial-scale mixed crop and livestock farm, located 20 minutes from the Hobart campus, is essential to teaching and research in all disciplines of agricultural science, but particularly farm management, agricultural systems, agronomy, horticulture, soil science and animal production. The farm is also used by a variety of other teaching disciplines at UTAS.
The availability of water from the South East Irrigation Scheme and Clarence Recycled Water Scheme has assisted diversification and viability of enterprises and has further increased the teaching, research and community engagement value of the farm as a model for temperate agriculture.
Significant initiatives were undertaken in the1990s to develop partnerships and lease arrangements with external parties such as Hood Wines and Meadowbank Wines, (now both part of Frogmore Creek Wines), Lark Distilleries and Southern Tree Breeders (now seedEnergy) to provide additional sources of income and capital development to enhance the teaching, research and community engagement functions of the farm.
These activities have also played important economic development and support to emerging sectors like viticulture, seed production and recently the boutique whiskey industry.
To find out more about other resources available to UTAS undergraduates and postgraduates, go to the TIA website and take a tour of its five sector-based research, development and extension Centres.