Massey PhD students contributing to hill country PGP

Benefits are already flowing from Ravensdown's Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme focused on transforming hill country farms through the precision application of fertiliser.

Two students at Massey University are completing their PhD's with part of the research associated with the programme and a further two PhD students are to be appointed. A third student completing a Masters of Philosophy (Science) is associated with a research project funded by Ravensdown.

The Pioneering to Precision PGP programme is a partnership between Ravensdown and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) with research carried out by Massey University and AgResearch. It is a seven-year programme that aims to improve hill country sheep and beef farming productivity, while protecting the environment through more efficient application of fertiliser.

The globally-recognised Precision Agriculture Group at Massey University is helping define the science which will allow the aerial scanning of farms to flow through to improved accuracy in applying fertiliser.

Among the students working on the project is born-and-raised Kiwi, Pip McVeagh, who is completing her PhD research topic on site specific pasture production in New Zealand hill country.

Her aim is to develop a detailed understanding of pasture production and pasture ecology, and how a range of spatial factors can determine nutrient needs and impact on pasture production in a hill country farming system.

"Fertiliser is a big financial investment for hill country farmers, and many sheep and beef farmers are struggling to sustain a reasonable profit - hill country farming is typically low profit," she said.

"The research we are doing will help to improve grazing and stock management strategies of hill country farmers because this research will provide them with a more in-depth understanding of the spatial variation in pasture production over the landscape."

McVeagh has been working on the PGP programme for the past five months and is part of the fieldwork team who collect site-specific data and develop ways to use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to store, analyse and display that data.

The information collected includes sensed data, pasture and soil samples which will be used to evaluate how remote sensing technology can be used to direct fertiliser applications.

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Massey PhD students contributing to hill country PGP