Do you believe Kiwi farmers need a major overhaul of their production systems to become truly sustainable and economically viable? Our company, Kiwitech, certainly does and we are seriously engaged in that overhaul. This is why we are looking for talent to help with a complete re-engineering of our existing, well-established grazing management concept "TechnoGrazing".While TechnoGrazing is primarily a logistical tool to enable precision grazing with small mobs and subdivisions that can be utilized in the context of very low inputs or otherwise. Burleigh practices a very low input version which features:Dairy beef steers rather than bulls.Zero use of synthetic N and very low use of PKS.Zero cropping, pasture reestablishment, forage conservation, supplementation, etc., i.e., we run a pure all-grass paddock to mouth operation (our youngest pasture is about 10 years old, and the average is about 20 years).Fences that can be driven over at all locations (no gates).Very low use of anthelmintics and chemicals in general.All animal handling is performed with very efficient mobile yards/chute – "in the paddock". The only time our animals see the central yard is when they arrive/depart.Despite the low inputs, our stocking rates and production levels are much higher than average.The new version, "T2", aims at even higher productivity, but with much more emphasis on sustainability and workstyle. T2 will preserve the simple, minimalist, low-input character of "T1" but will involve the automation of most of the functions in T1.We are also developing methods of improving workstyle and safety while reducing drudge work with a combination of robotics, automated data collection, smart new practical techniques, precision farming, lean management, and software tools.Anyone involved in T2, whether in R&D, tech-support, or marketing needs to have a thorough understanding of the general TechnoGrazing paradigm and the novel methods used to farm this way. Techno looks deceptively like conventional intensive grazing systems. But an appreciation of how different it is, what benefits these differences provide and getting an in-depth understanding of it, takes direct hands-on TechnoGrazing experience.The position you would be applying for is "farm worker/trainee manager to help run an all-grass dairy beef farm". The farm is Burleigh and is located near Bulls (25 minutes from Palmerston North).Tasks will include cattle handling (drafting, shifting, vaccinating, drenching, ear-tagging, weighing, etc.); moving temporary electric fences and portable water troughs; building and maintaining permanent electric fences; using a chainsaw for fallen trees; maintaining water reticulation; record keeping; weed spraying; quad-riding; tractor-driving; etc.Many of these tasks are handled in an unconventional way on Burleigh and any candidate needs to be prepared to learn new approaches and techniques.While inexperienced candidates will be considered, experience in some form of practical, hands-on work is essential and conventional beef farming experience is desirable. Some level of university/tertiary training in agriculture or closely related areas is important.Salary offered will depend on qualifications and previous relevant job experience and achievement but is expected to be in the range of $70,000 to $90,000. An on-farm cottage is provided and remuneration over and above the nominal salary will be offered to cover the rental.Our strong hope is that candidates will eventually move from the trainee role into a senior management, advisory, training, marketing or technical role related to T2 business and further training will be provided in the candidate's areas of specialization.To this end, we are looking for someone with a strong interest in agritech and grazing management to fill a role on Burleigh farm to learn these techniques/technologies and assist in their further development, production, and marketing. This TechnoGrazing trainee role is expected to last 12-18 months before further training in the underlying technical/theoretical side of future developments. Possible downstream roles following this training are:Techno-Farm design, bill of materials, costings, and financial analyses using bespoke software, GPS, and drone-based surveys.Grazing management on-line customer-support using precision, predictive computer models and real-time data.Sales and marketing, locally and offshore, with extensive on-line communication and preparation and use of training and promotional videos.Device/hardware/embedded software tech-support roles involving on-line updates, computer models, wireless networks, and video-based instructions and training.R&D roles in grazing management, including on-farm trial work, and data analysis in support of the ongoing development of grazing software and intelligent devices.Software development in AI, embedded devices, computer modelling, and practical apps.Engineering R&D involving a wide range of devices, machines, and materials.Farm management system development, especially in Lean Management.Because these downstream roles are so diverse, we expect applicants will have strengths in just a subset of the disciplines involved and that they will end up specializing in two or three of the roles outlined above, i.e., we are not expecting applicants to be educated/experienced in all these areas. But most of the roles do require tertiary education and a strong interest in pastoral farming; preferably, with some direct hands-on experience.Applicants for this position should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa.
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