Region

Canterbury

Job

George is doing the Honours part of his Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at Lincoln University. His honours project is looking at the effect of wood decomposition on nitrogen availability and plant productivity.

George likes his honours project because it applies to a real life situation in the Canterbury Plains. In this area a lot of forestry land has been converted for dairy farming. To convert the land, pine tree stumps are mulched and mixed in with the soil. The decomposed wood from these stumps uses up some of the soil’s nitrogen, which is needed for plants to grow. He is investigating how much nitrogen is used, and how much fertiliser needs to be applied to the soil to make up for the losses. Ultimately, he would like to provide some facts for the farmers to help them to minimise the amount of fertiliser they apply each year.

George is also taking some papers, which he enjoys a lot. He is studying marketing, including supply chain management; farm investment planning, analysing the viability of investing in new business ventures; and soil physical properties, finding out about the science behind irrigation efficiency and the importance of soil structure.

George likes his honours work because the hours are flexible and he is learning about the subjects that most interest him. He says “ I was initially worried about managing my time effectively, but I have learned to set dates and deliver specific targets on time.”

Career Pathway

George went to school in Christchurch and chose Lincoln University because it was close to home. Also, he didn’t think the University of Otago’s “scarfie” culture would suit him. He chose to study agricultural science because he thought it would lead to a wide range of job opportunities.

In 2005, George applied for and was awarded the New Zealand Dairy Industry Undergraduate Scholarship, which paid his fees for throughout his university studeis. It has meant a lot to him to have his fees paid, and it means he hasn’t needed to get a student loan.

Of all the papers he has take he has enjoyed soil science and plant science the most. Although, he has also taken commerce papers to broaden his knowledge and experience.

Next year George is planning on doing a post-graduate diploma in commerce and hope this will help him to get a job in the future. He is considering doing a diploma overseas, and then would like to work in New Zealand as a rural professional.

George would like to run his own business, although he is not yet sure what type of business. Eventually, he would like it to own a farm as it is a great place for raising a family and has a much better lifestyle than the city.

Interests

The outdoors; getting home to work on the farm; tennis; catching up with friends, and tramping, although he doesn’t get to do that too often.