It would be available next year at the Wairarapa and Telford campuses and at the Central North Island Dairy Academy at Reporoa.
Employers were looking for graduates who not only had a good grounding in farm practices but a solid understanding of the skills and knowledge of running a farm business, chief executive Arthur Graves said.
"New Zealand’s best farms are now complex businesses managing across a range of competencies from health and safety to environmental sustainability to the daily pasture and stock management while using a raft of technologies and programmes.
"Students learn to understand how to run a farm business and what drives successful practice.
“We are confident that the content of this diploma programme develops high quality graduate skills,” Graves said.
The Massey diploma was an intensive, 32-week course and well suited to the residential environment of the three sites, which all offered learning on actual farms.
"With the growth in the primary sector employment market the chance of securing a job after completing the course is very high.
“In fact, employers come looking for our graduates so many get to choose which job suits them best from a range of offers.
"This is the sort of qualification that provides the opportunity to take up a career that offers a diverse range of specialties and experiences.
“It can also offer a pathway into a number of different career options including farm adviser, fertiliser representative, shepherd and livestock agent and many others along with, of course, that of farm manager.
Enrolments were now open for next year.
