Browsing by Author "Wood, BA"

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    Improved extension practices for sheep and beef farmers
    (New Zealand Grassland Association Occasional Publication, 14/04/2016) Gray, DI; Sewell, AM; Hartnett, M; Wood, BA; Kemp, PD; Blair, HT; Kenyon, PR; Morris, ST
    Innovation is critical for maintaining New Zealand’s competitive advantage in agriculture and central to this is farmer learning and practice change. Despite the importance of farmer learning, limited research has been undertaken in New Zealand. In this study, an extension programme was developed based upon educational theory and research and then evaluated over a 3 years to identify the factors that were important for farmer learning and practice change. This paper provides a brief overview of findings of a 3 year interdisciplinary study conducted at Massey University with 23 farmers that investigated the critical factors that support farmers’ learning. The five critical success factors and the seven educational principles identified from this study provide guidelines for how science should interact with farmers to foster effective innovation. These findings are also applicable to other extension approaches such discussion groups, monitor farms and sustainable farming fund initiatives where farmers work with scientists and/or rural professionals.
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    Opportunities to improve grazing management
    (New Zealand Grasslands Association, 5/11/2014) McCarthy, S; Hirst, C; Donaghy, D; Gray, D; Wood, BA; New Zealand Grasslands Association
    Improved efficiency in growing and converting pasture into product is required to maintain New Zealand’s competitive advantage in dairying. This study focused on two areas of grazing management, the first an assessment of the indicators leaf stage, pre-grazing yield and grazing residual. In summary, 49% of measured paddocks were grazed too soon based on leaf stage, 62% were grazed outside the recommended pre-grazing yield, and 48% of measured paddocks were not grazed to a desirable height. The second part of the study provided an insight into farmer decision making at an operational level of grazing management with three key components identified. These were: 1) The recruitment of paddocks into a grazing plan; 2) The shuffling of the paddock grazing sequence within the grazing plan; and 3) The management of individual grazing events before, during and after the event. An improved understanding by rural professionals of grazing management decision making would result in extension strategies which generate increased farmer engagement, adoption of grazing management technologies and improved on-farm productivity.