Hi All, I’m Pip McVeagh

I have just joined the LandWISE team as Research Manager. I have had an action packed first couple of weeks meeting great people, making a start on some really interesting projects and I’m excited to be involved!

I’m keen to get started with trials and monitoring for the Future Proofing Vegetable Production project. I have spent 2 days in Gisborne and a day in Levin with Dan meeting many people involved in the project and I am really looking forward to working with them. I am off to Queensland next week to learn all about woodchip bioreactors which we hope to install in some areas to reduce nitrate leaching. I will also be involved in an orchard drainage project, and it was great to meet some of the Gisborne orchardists where we will be doing some trial work.

As part of my role, I will be looking to identify opportunities to develop more sustainable cropping systems. I have worked and studied in the New Zealand Centre for Precision Agriculture for the past 8 years using crops sensors, RTK GPS systems, soil EM mapping, running field trials, GIS, image and spatial data analysis… among other aspects of precision ag.

I grew up living and working with sheep and beef, am a keen vege gardener and have studied a mix of subjects including landscape management, weeds, plant pest and diseases, soils… I enjoy learning new things, a challenge, problem solving and will give anything a go, so please don’t hesitate to contact me (pip.mcv@landwise.org.nz) for a chat if you have any thoughts or ideas.

I’m excited to join Dan and the LandWISE community and get involved!