Intermediate Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture

Overview

This course covers nutrient cycling, water movement through agricultural landscapes, sustainable farm practices and nutrient budgeting in either pastoral agriculture or orchard and arable production.

You'll gain a working knowledge of how to assess nutrient requirements in a range of agricultural systems. You'll also learn best practices for environmental protection.

This course uses Overseer software.

You must fully participate in all online sessions of the course and pass the two-hour examination on the final day. The exam includes:

• interpretation of a case study
• short answer questions.

To receive your Certificate of Completion in Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture, you need to complete both the intermediate and advanced short courses in Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture.

Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture

Who this course is for

Advisors responsible for safe and effective nutrient management. This course may also be helpful if you work in a role where it would be beneficial to know more about production issues and the agricultural sector.

Why take this course

This course is a prerequisite for Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture

The course has been developed with the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand (FANZ) as part of the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme.

Find out more about Nutrient Management Adviser Certification

What you'll get

When you successfully complete the Intermediate Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture and the Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture, you will receive a Certificate of Completion in Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture.

Before taking this course

You must have a good understanding of farm systems, particularly dairy. You should have:

• completed at least one tertiary level course in Soil Science or Land Resource Management, or
• significant practical or professional experience in production agriculture, horticulture or environmental science.

Ideally, you should have prior knowledge of the Overseer Nutrient Budgets software.

This course should not be your first introduction to the concepts of nutrient cycling.

If you're not sure your qualifications and experience are appropriate, contact Fiona Bardell at F.M.Bardell@massey.ac.nz

To prepare for this course, refresh and assess your background knowledge on soils, fertilisers, and nutrient flows in grazing systems. You can review a set of introductory notes and undertake a self-assessment.

Read the introductory notes

Read the Soil Science Bridging course

Read the publications about fertiliser use on farms

You will also find useful resources on the Fertiliser Association website and the DairyNZ website.

You should be familiar with the objectives, purpose and scope of the Code of Practice for Nutrient Management.

You can also find useful information on the Code of Practice Fact Sheets.

These resources are available on the home page of the Overseer Nutrient Budgets software.

Learning outcomes

• Assessing nutrient requirements in a range of agricultural systems.
• Best practices for environmental protection.
• Nutrient cycling.
• Water movement through agricultural landscapes.
• Sustainable farm practices and nutrient budgeting in pastoral agriculture, or orchard and arable production.

Course content and structure

The course is online. You must participate in all sessions of the online course and spend up to 80 hours on self-study. There is a two-hour exam on the final day.

Your self-studies should include study guide material, loading case study information into Overseer and improving your understanding of the software's capabilities.

Registrations

To register your interest, contact Fiona Bardell at F.M.Bardell@massey.ac.nz.

Contact information