Owl Farm in the Curriculum

Owl Farm at St Peter’s, Cambridge is a demonstration dairy farm that provides valuable learning experiences for our students and the farming community. Owl Farm is a joint venture between St Peter’s and Lincoln University with support from industry partners Opus, LIC, DairyNZ, Fonterra Farmsource, Ballance, PGG Wrightson Seeds and Westpac.

Owl Farm provides practical experience to students in our Agriculture and Horticulture programmes. Students can study Agriculture and Horticulture as part of the national curriculum in Year 10, and in Years 11-13 as an NCEA subject. Our students use the farm regularly for a wide variety of practical applications, including animal feeding, breeding and health, pasture composition, growth rates and dry matter percentage, pasture identification, weed identification, and more. The ability to jump the fence and observe first-hand the theory taught in the classroom is hugely advantageous for learning.

Owl Farm helps to educate students for careers in agribusiness. There is already huge demand for tertiary qualified people in agribusiness and agriscience. In order for New Zealand to meet the target of doubling the value of our agricultural exports by 2025, an additional 50,000 jobs in agribusiness and agriscience will be required. Owl Farm works with the Business and Entrepreneurial Centre at St Peter’s to support students who are interested in this growth area.

Owl Farm provides field work opportunities in other curriculum areas. It provides case studies that support learning in Business Studies, Economics, and Accounting. Students in Chemistry and Biology use the farm for field work in bio-diversity, water quality, and movement of nutrients. Geography students benefit from Owl Farm’s focus on environmental sustainability. Owl farm makes a significant contribution to the holistic educational opportunities that St Peter’s offers students. More information can be found on the Owl Farm website.