Irrigation 101 to upskill professionals

Irrigation 101 to upskill professionals

A beginner’s guide to irrigation will be offered in Hawke’s Bay next month for professionals who need to better understand the sector to help their dealings with farmers.

The Irrigation Fundamentals course is a two day workshop offered by IrrigationNZ to introduce non-farmers to the principles of irrigation management. The course, particularly targeted at frontline staff of organisations and businesses that provide services to the irrigation industry, will take place in Hastings on 3rd and 4th August.

Rural advisors, environmental consultants and regional council staff are among those who have attended the course so far in the South Island.

Here are comments from a range of professionals who attended last year’s Fundamentals course.

“As a Senior Resource Management Officer at Environment Canterbury part of my role involves talking to members of the farming community around irrigation compliance. I attended the course to enhance my understanding of irrigation systems and techniques. The course covered all my expectations and was a good balance of theory and practical learning which I can confidently take with me in the field.” Marco Cataloni, Environment Canterbury.

One of his colleagues Zach Hill said “The Fundamentals course provides a really good introduction to the practical aspects of installing and managing efficient irrigation systems. It gives real-life examples of decision-making processes, pitched at just the right level. It’s given me a greater awareness of the thought processes and technical requirements that go into efficient system design.”

Environmental consultant Jack Christensen from Irricon said “I came onto the course with a very limited understanding of irrigation. The course was well presented covering a variety of topics providing the “Irrigation 101” that I was seeking. A good mix of time in the class and field trips that ranged from irrigation scheme to individual farm level was very welcome. Another unforeseen yet valuable component was mixing with people from different industries ranging from infrastructure suppliers through to regulators and hearing their questions, comments and perspectives. As an environmental consultant the course provided a base level of knowledge that has helped me give better service to my clients.”

Hamish Hutton, Head of Marketing and Business Development at MyMilk said “There is nothing worse than going into any professional discussion lacking the knowledge necessary to contribute confidently. In my role most meetings are with dairy farmers and rural professionals. For them a very important topic is irrigation. I attended the Irrigation Fundamentals course because I wanted to acquire a good working knowledge of irrigation schemes and systems. The course looked like the perfect opportunity to plug any gaps in my understanding. I was very pleased with the course that was delivered. It covered a wide range of topics in exactly the technical depth I required for my role. I am now able to converse confidently with rural professionals and farmers about most irrigation related matters.”

More details about the Irrigation Fundamentals course can be found at www.irrigationnz.co.nz/events

ENDS

© Scoop Media