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Dr Lucy Burkitt.
The growing need for farmers to have farm environment plans has prompted Massey University to develop a new course to help train rural professionals to do these.
Dr Lucy Burkitt and Dr Mike Bretherton of the university’s School of Agriculture have put together the course, which is online, making it easier for people to complete it in their own time.
Burkitt says with new regulations, such as the Healthy Rivers programme, Massey recognised the need for a tertiary qualification in this subject. It’s built on work done by colleague Mike Touhy, who has been running a course on understanding soils and landscapes, and how nutrient and sediment are lost from landscapes
“We spent last year going around the country doing a lot of market research, talking to regional councils about the important attributes they want their employees and people doing farm plans to know and understand,” she told Rural News.
“We have revamped the existing course to be targeted, so that rural professionals can do it online in their own time.”
Burkitt says the course has three modules. The first is an introduction to soil and nutrient loss issues, with a field trip that will be done with the regional councils. The second module goes into a lot more detail about soil and nutrient loss processes and understanding the hydrology that makes soil and water move, as well as erosion processes.
“The final module has the students developing a farm environment plan themselves, so we will encourage them to hook up with the regional councils. Many of the councils have agreed to provide mentorship to the students and help guide them through the process,” she says.
The aim of the course, Burkitt says, is have people who will be qualified, confident and understanding of all the components of farm plans.
Anyone interested in nutrient management can do the introductory module and field day, but only people with qualifications in soil and nutrient management can do the remaining two modules.
Burkitt says farm plans are complex and people doing these need to understand landscape and soil processes and how these interact with hydrology to influence nutrient and soil loss.
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