Supporting new short courses to fill demand for agriculture experts

The Fertiliser Association is delighted to be providing funding for two new agriculture short courses at Massey University. These courses have been created to fill demand for agriculture experts as a result of the government's mandate on freshwater plans.

"Under the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, many farms in New Zealand will likely be required to have a freshwater plan, so it's important that the industry has suitably qualified people to develop these plans," says Vera Power, Chief Executive of the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand.

"The flexibility of these courses will enable people to study around their existing commitments andbuild their expertise to feel confident in delivering these plans."

"It is critical that farmers are able to access advisers with proven ability to give the type of holistic advice that farmers and growers will need to step-up their environmental management."

The School has created two new courses: Introduction to New Zealand Farm Systems, and Intermediate Farm Environment Planning. A third course, Advanced Farm Environment Planning, is due to be developed in 2021.

Dr Lucy Burkitt, Senior Research Officer at the School of Agriculture and Environment is leading the creation of the Intermediate Farm Environmental Planning course. "It is designed for industry professionals interested in upskilling in the concepts and components important for the development of freshwater Farm Environment Plans," says Dr Burkitt.

"An online environment and digital resources will be used to guide students through the development of a desktop Farm Environment Plan."

You can find out more about the courses and enrolment information at: https://www.massey.ac.nz/~flrc/courses.html

Dr Lucy Birkitt