NZ's first agritechnology educational centre will be established by Wintec at AgResearch's King Country dairy science farm within two years. The farm, currently the subject of a $6 million conversion from sheep and beef to dairying at Tokanui, will be the source of teaching material for a range of student groups. The centre will service secondary school and tertiary education students as well as farm workers and employers. Steve Payne, Wintec's project development manager, said the centre had received $1 million funding over three years from the Tertiary Education Commission. The facility would be completely operational by the end of 2010 writes The Waikato Times. Students will be able to work with farm-generated data across environmental sustainability, production systems, waste management technologies and automation and technology, he said. Tertiary and Secondary school students will be able to study science and agriculture in action. Mr Payne, who is also a business development manager at Innovation Waikato, said Wintec's new bachelor of technology degree would give students an opportunity to specialise in agritechnology.
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