Success is a journey Archives - Page 32 of 35 - Clover Hill Diaries

Today is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.

The title of this blog comes from a quote I love by Brad Paisley and I am going to make it my New Years resolution and I am not going to follow Mark Twains lead

“New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual,” – Mark Twain

I got off to a great start and I was on the beach early this morning with my camera. Now I didn’t take this photo

But I was up with the sparrows recording the beauty in paradise on the first day of 2014 and I did take these photos.

Though I must admit there were definitely people expending a lot more energy than me

and a few cuties making the most of this perfect morning

The new year stands before us waiting to to be written and its our chance to get it right.

Rick Farley A life with a lesson for us all

I am a person who needs to be surrounded by good friends to truly relax and find it almost impossible to take 5 when I am left to my own devices

So this Christmas I am determined to break that mould. My front verandah has become my new best friend along with Amazon Kindle and Netfix and Crackle and iTunes

A Google search told me the best TV series of the Year was House of Cards.

I have been fascinated by Rick Farley since I read his 2003 Australia Day address so on my iPad Kindle I am reading his biography ‘A Way Through’

What a contrast my choices of verandah entertainment has been

House of Cards is indeed brilliant but so dark. Kevin Spacey as Congressman Frank Underwood Machiavellian personality is just so evil.

I wish he was an anomaly but we all know there are people in the real world just like him with no empathy, conscience or remorse and believe everything should revolve entirely around them and their quest for power no matter who or what they have to crush to quench their thirst.

Some eerie quotes from the series

Power is a lot like real estate. It’s all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source the higher your property value.

Choosing money over power is a mistake almost everyone makes. Money is the big mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power is that old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who does not see the difference.

Now according to the web President Obama has said of House of Cards and Frank Underwood (who will resort to murder, sexual impropriety, blackmail, fraud and a litany of evils to grease the legislative process).

“I wish things were that ruthlessly efficient….. this guy’s getting a lot of things done”

I would prefer to think the President has been misquoted or spoke in jest

The most poignant part of the series1 for me is the last episode when Frank’s wife Claire (who can do evil pretty well herself) asks Frank what legacy will they leave on the world and he can’t give her an answer.

Such a contrast to Rick Farley who also spent a considerable amount of time in the world of politics.

“In this era of adversarial politics and campaigning there are lessons to be learned from his life, his capacity to get everyone talking to one another, and to agree on a compromise” Natasha Mitchell ABC Radio

“Farley brought competing interests together, listened deeply and patiently, worked from clear principles, helped people to understand each others’ perspective and to find common ground, and often delivered results that everyone could live with. Farley usually negotiated deals that represented real progress, but more importantly, that left a legacy of better relations between competing interests. Invariably, he earned the respect, trust and admiration of those he worked with.” Andrew Campbell

Rick was a city boy who is his own words was

shaped over a long time by a very diverse group of Australians – cattlemen, farmers, conservationists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I thank them all for the education they have provided me. It also has been shaped by over 25 years in the political and public policy arena, which represents both the best and worst of our national endeavour.

As his 2003 Australia Day address shows, Rick had a big picture vision for agriculture in this country and was 100% committed to Australia being the great country it deserves

So I perceive my country now to be a bit lost; still not managing change equitably; searching for its place in the world; looking sometimes for simple truths and solutions which no longer exist – in the middle of a cultural vortex and not quite sure of the exit point.

In that situation, it seems sensible to me to look to the bedrock of our nation, the points that can ground us and give us stability. In my view, these distil down to our country – our land and waters – and the nature of our relationships with each other.

Unless we use natural resources in a sustainable way, we are mining the future. Unless the relationships between our citizens are respectful and inclusive, we are a divided and diminished society.

To me, these are the defining features of Australian culture and identity. Together, they can unite our communities, build resilience, and create a firm foundation from which to meet the ever-increasing challenges we face.

By any measure, we are not caring properly for our natural resources.

We automatically imported European systems of agriculture, based on wet, fertile landscapes, and unsuited to our fragile soils and rainfall patterns. Australia’s wealth depended on agriculture and mining for a long time, and without sufficient knowledge about the long-term results, we went hell for leather……

The tasks before us obviously are enormous. Farming systems will have to change; further adjustment in the farm sector is likely; rehabilitation will take decades and will be impossible in some areas; public and private costs will be huge; new regulatory systems will have to be introduced; and a vast amount of political and social capital will need to be invested.

But unless we do it, in my view we will limit our future as a nation and as a society. Our economic, social and even our spiritual security will inexorably be diminished.

Sadly Rick Farley is no longer able to grow his legacy but eleven years later what Rick said in 2003 is just as relevant today

There is a golden opportunity here – to come together in an act of national will to create a priceless legacy for future generations; to cement part of the foundation for a modern Australian culture and identity. One that builds on the past, but can deal with the new realities we face.

I never met Rick Farley but I am honoured to be working side by side with people who knew him and respected him and I for one will be working hard in 2014 (25 Years of Landcare) to celebrate both his vision and inspire others to make it their mission.

In Andrew Campbell’s article “Whatever happened to brave leaders” he says

Rick Farley … was gifted in speaking truth to power, in cogent language that political leaders and their constituents could “get”. How we miss those clear, far-sighted voices in debates over how best to share the water resources of the Murray-Darling Basin. How we miss their ability to understand and empathise with all sides and cut to the essence, to find a way through to a better place.

In Rick Farley we lost a real national leader, one of the most significant Australians of the late 20th century.

There are indeed lessons to be learnt from his life. Rick Farley may be a “one of” but surely a team of people who aspire to achieve his vision could have a red hot chance This makes me ponder perhaps the most pressing thing wouldn’t you agree is that we (agriculture) identify and nurture the next generation of Rick Farleys?

The Amazing Disappearing Farmer A heartfelt story

Browne’s Dairy first caught my attention whilst I was visiting WA in November 2012 with their very heartfelt and very entertaining campaign Save WA Dairy Use by Date Campaign I wrote about it at the time here and explained very cleverly on film here

Many of their products are very funky

and I imagine appeal to the demographic ( 13-18yrs) who turn to heaven forbid to less healthy alternatives in their teens

Now they are appealing to the hearts and minds of Western Australians through the Amazing Disappearing Dairy Farmer campaign

According to their website

In a massive show of defiance to those companies who choose to import Eastern States’ dairy products, thousands of everyday West Australians turned out to declare themselves ambassadors of WA dairy. A lucky few were then selected to broadcast their message of encouragement back to WA farmers. They’re West Aussies from every walk of life – young, old, families, parents, brothers, sisters and friends. People like Madeline Abbot and Robert Lorrimer from Ascot, the Rickett family from Ellenbrook and Cameron Powell from Scarborough.

While these people don’t know each other and have probably never met, they all share something in common – they recognise that without the hard work of WA’s dairy farmers, there would simply be no milk. It’s vitally important that our farmers are able to secure a fair return from the market for the milk they produce. This is the cornerstone of Brownes’ philosophy and a cause we are proud to champion.

Imported dairy products are hurting WA farmers – that’s the cold, hard truth. So with the help of our WA dairy ambassadors, we’re issuing a call to arms to all proud West Australians to buy local and support your State. This is one of the messages that our stars of the screen are now relaying on television and online around the State this week.

I look forward to seeing the impact of Brand WA on Western Australians. Will appealing to the heart translate into purchases? Well no-one can say Browne’s Dairy aren’t giving it a red hot go

So this is Christmas

As I put together this little video for all my readers and my special friends I have been thinking of the many different Christmases I have had over the last fifteen years and I must admit its hard to go past Christmas with good friends on the ski slopes in Sliver Star

Silver Star Mountain on New Years Eve

or the look on the kids faces when we spent Christmas at the Banff Springs Hotel

and Chateau Lake Louise

and that moonlight sleigh ride

then there was Disneyland

In the words of Dickens

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveller back to his own fireside and quiet home!

This year it will be with special friends and family at their house and mine enjoying the

simple pleasures of life

Does it get much better than this

I have seen Christmas trees that reach for the sky in Paris and San Francisco but I kinda like my little tree this year

Its quite amazing what you can do with a recycled pipe and some twisted willow

and some simple decorations

in red and silver

Christmas is not always full of joy and Douglas Copeland once said

Christmas makes everything twice as sad.

Most of all lets remember one of life’s lesson is always moving on. It’s okay to look back and think of fond memories but keep moving forward

Life wasn’t meant to be travelled backwards and you will never find your future in the rear view mirror.

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas

Courage does not always roar

The end of 2013 is nigh and its time for reflection. This year I put my hand up to officially enter the world of agri-politics and as 2014 fast approaches I am seriously asking myself is this the best use of my time, energy and expertise? Very importantly is it the right thing for my emotional well-being?. As I listen and learn and process I am constantly being reminded of the Edmund Burke quote

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men and women do nothing.

I am also constantly buoyed by the great men and women I meet and last Monday saw me in Brisbane at the invitation of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) at their Climate Adaptation Producer Workshop. I was quite excited to be attending this workshop because MLA has a collaborative mindset and producers from a number of industries were attending and I love these cross industry think tanks.

I also saw it as a great opportunity to grow my Bring a Friend campaign and take the dynamo that is Target 100’s Beef Young Farming Champion Bronwyn Roberts with me

The group was tasked with answering the following questions (considering all elements of the enterprise – animals, plants, people and the overall system)

1. What are the key research needs for climate for our farming systems?

2. What are the human skills and capacity needs for climate for our farming systems?

3. What do we already know about climate, and is that information (& decision support tools) sufficiently available to livestock producers?

4. What would an ideal farming system look like for your business in 2030? What resources or tools would you require to be more profitable in the future?

Now anybody who has spent even the smallest amount of time with me will know that to me agriculture in this country won’t have a viable future until we start genuinely investing in our people. See previous post here

To me it is imperative that we identify, engage, nurture and support our young people in an environment that allows each individual to build and enhance existing knowledge and skills and pivotally provides ongoing training and development to help them become more effective, and take on bigger and more significant challenges. This also requires us to establish conditions that will allow individuals to engage in the process of learning and adapting to change.

So it goes without saying that I would firmly ensconce myself at the table that was focusing on question 2.

It would not be a discussion without leadership or rather lack of rearing its ugly head and this brings me to the reason why I am finding myself emotionally drained at the end of 2013

In my role as a national dairy industry councillor I attended a number of dairy industry events last month. The hot topic behind the scenes was how was Dairy Australia taking the Horizon 2020 project forward?. No matter how you look at it this is a brilliant document – Horizon 2020

This project explored possible future scenarios for the Australian dairy industry in 2020 and described a desirable outcome.

In the words of the working group it was about ‘looking long and thinking differently’ and creating

the necessary farm business “fitness”
a positive and proactive culture;
(dairy) industry leadership to succeed in achieving a desired future in 2020.

The working group said

These imperatives will require industry to do a number of fundamentally new things and to address existing agendas differently compared to today.

Excitingly Horizon 2020 was to be the start of a process to

stimulate the Australian dairy industry to focus on the future – the opportunities that this future presents and what it will demand of our industry.

There were a number of young farmers on this working group who got the opportunity of a lifetime to travel the world and meet the first movers and the innovators and the champions in dairy right across the supply chain from the US to Europe

Fundamentally for these young farmers leadership growth they were promised by Dairy Australia that

“this process should create an ongoing process of insights and thought leadership to guide industry decision-making in future,

and they would be part of the team

‘to monitor progress on follow-up to this initiative”.

Now we all know there is nothing more motivating that being part of success story

Sadly for this group of young farmers the promise from the powers that be that they would continue to be part of the journey were hollow. I can tell you having been there done that a ‘thank you very much don’t call us we will call you (and don’t hold your breath)’ outcome is pretty demoralising and I was devastated speaking to some of the young farmers and hearing their disappointment .

Now these young farmers do have choices and they can challenge the process and I know a few very passionate people are already in their court ready to stand beside them to help them do it. I am telling this story because I want more great men and women in dairy to join this team to fight the good fight

I am reminded of the Theodore Roosevelt quote

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,

The man who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings;

The man who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.

So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Yes Agriculture is full of timid souls but I can assure you it is also full of leaders. Leaders who need more than token a ‘leadership alumni” they need support, ongoing training, access to bright minds and people with blue sky visions who discuss the big ideas. Sometimes they even need their hands held.

I know it can be done Art4Agriculture’s Young Farming Champions prove this to me everyday and they inspire me to keep going and excitingly they have inspired the corporate sector to invest in them.

I will give it a couple of weeks to see if I have the strength to help drive change at Dairy Australia. I am not alone in this endeavour but more farmers need to put their hands up. I look forward to them stepping up to the challenge. Its time to look long and think differently and that starts with challenging the process

HARD QUESTIONS AGRICULTURE NEEDS TO ANSWER

Last Thursday I attended my second Blueprint for Australian Agriculture Forum.

The Blueprint for Australian Agriculture is about finding a new voice and building a coherent, collaborative plan to make significant and sustainable progress.

The attendees had been tasked with determining the actions for ‘KEEPING THE BLUEPRINT ON TRACK’

There was a lot of talk in the room about agriculture’s inability to celebrate success and pivotal need to balance the hard luck stories with the good news which was too often exacerbated by the culture of some of cutting down those who dare tell a positive story

The morning commenced with an address by well-known and thought provoking CRAIG DAVIS who challenged us by saying

There’s a massive gap between the perception and the reality of Australian agribusiness. We think the world is thinking of us in the first place. We think the perception is better than it is. We think we’re a player. C’mon people, humility.

But the opportunities for Australian agribusiness are enormous. For all our misguided perceptions, the reality can and should be far stronger than most of us imagine.

Craig’s address was titled the HARD QUESTIONS AGRICULTURE NEEDS TO ANSWER and began with

When you’re born in Australia you’ve already won the lottery. We live in one of the most naturally
abundant places on earth. But are we smart enough and prepared to work hard enough to grow
our good fortune? Or will we squander it like so many lazy lottery winners? These are some of the
hard questions for Australian agribusiness to answer and the NFF Blueprint is designed to
help. But if we are prepared to take on these (and many other) challenges, there’s no room for
complacency. Like it or not, we live in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
And we’ll need a clever, coherent and compelling Brand Australia to help us realise our potential.

Craig gave the attendees some very sage advice when he said

Australian agribusiness needs to do a much better job of building engagement and relationships with customers and consumers. Strong relationships are built on a shared purpose, values, experiences and the stories that exemplify and reinforce them. So it is with strong brands.

So what makes this such a challenge for Australian agribusiness?

Two things.

First, brand ‘Australia’ has a mixed reputation for relationships in the region.

In consultations leading up to the Asian Century Whitepaper comments were made about Australia’s apathy and lack of knowledge towards Asia. Our role as a ‘seller of things’ to Asia influences the view of us – we’ll have a price negotiation on everything. We’re seen more as ‘wheeler dealers’ than relationship builders.

(You may have seen some commentary in The Land recently to back this up).

By contrast, the Canadian beef industry has been working with China for many years. Their approach has been holistic and includes partnering on genetics, live cattle, meat and production technologies.

And Fonterra’s deep and abiding partnership with China has served them nicely through thick and thin.

According to opinions canvassed through Advance, Australia’s community of professional expats, “there is a perception that Australians see things through Australian and English eyes, that we look to Washington for political approval and even resent travelling on business to Asia.”

These are not helpful characterizations for relationship building in the region.

The second reason all this matters is that the relationship model is more about purpose, meaning and values than image and communication.

A great deal of what Craig had to say resonated with me and the background behind Art4Agriculture’s raison d’etre. You can imagine I pumped my fist in the air when he said

I suggest to you that the future of Australian agriculture has a lot to do with rebuilding direct consumer and customer engagement. And there’s nothing quite like a customer focus to inform, simplify and clarify strategic planning and priorities.

What truly resonated with me was the importance of agriculture sharing the “HOW and WHY” when we tell our story.

People are overloaded and overwhelmed with information. We’re up against increasingly distracted minds. These people don’t want more communication, they want to feel connected.

The antidote to distraction is more meaning not more messaging. As Simon Sinek says, ”people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do what you do.”

…….. Clean, green and safe is what we do, not how or why we do it.

You can read this very compelling presentation on Craig’s blog here.

Footnote

Craig Davis has been at the forefront of the global advertising business for 20 years, with high level roles in Saatchi & Saatchi and J Walter Thompson working with many of the world’s biggest brands including Coca-Cola, P&G, Nestle, HSBC, Unilever, Shell, Sony, Bank of China, Toyota, Kraft, Ford and Diageo. He has judged at every major international advertising festival and delivered countless keynote addresses around the world.

Everybody including Paul Howes is an expert on farming

According to this article in The Australian – ‘Reform vital for farming’s future’ by STEFANIE BALOGH DECEMBER 01, 2013 2:03PM

INFLUENTIAL trade union leader Paul Howes says the era of “ma and pa farming” in Australia needs to end if the nation is to position itself as the food bowl of Asia.

Now firstly every man and his dog knows that Australia will never have the capacity to be the food bowl of Asia and it has nothing to do with the structure of our farms. Anyone with any knowledge of farming is with Professor Bill Bellotti on this one See Can Australia Really Feed Asia

Secondly what fascinates me about Paul Howes comments below

To future-proof the farming sector, Mr Howes said it needed to look to the United States where “you have large scale conglomerates that can diversify across different states and different feedstocks and take advantage of those different elements to be able to have sustainable, long-term investment into the sector.”

Is that it is this “large scale conglomerates” structure that the modern consumer is rebelling against. See previous post Little Golden Book Farming

As Professor Bellotti points out

It has been estimated that Australia (population 22 million) produces enough food for 60 million….

Australia’s Chief Scientist recently pointed out that while Australia’s role as a food exporting country is vital, Australian agricultural knowledge and expertise is even more valuable, benefitting an additional 200 million people, often those most vulnerable. If Australia can double or quadruple food production, and improve its natural resource base through the principle of sustainable intensification, then we will have made a tremendous contribution to humanity.

It is clear Mr Howes knows little about agriculture and the people who produce his food and fibre. Whilst no-one is saying the current structure is perfect Australian farmers are giving it a bloody good go despite falling investment in research and development says Professor Bellotti

They have remained in business despite droughts, floods, a high Australian dollar, low commodity prices, and increasingly complex regulatory and policy settings. Australian agricultural production has historically grown at around 2% per annum, an impressive result built on sustained government and industry investment in agricultural research and development.

If Australia is to greatly expand its contribution to global food security, there will need to be a significant and sustained increase in agricultural R&D, and this will need to come from both government and the private sector. But what research is needed, where is the strategic vision?

Let me assure you Mr Howes, Dad and Dave left the building in the 50’s Australia doesn’t need “large scale conglomerates” What it needs is strategic vision?

Also on this subject some highly informed content from Mick Keogh here

For someone like Mr. Howes, who makes his living representing participants in the most regulated sector of the Australian economy (the labour market) to criticise Australian farming (one of the most deregulated sectors of the Australian economy) and say it is in need of reform, shows a level of ignorance or hypocrisy that is almost breathtaking.

Thanks to http://sirwdchosen.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/meet-paul-howes.html for Cartoon

Can 70 be the new 40

This is one powerful video

I am at that point in my life when I am counting down the years to when I am going to reach 70 and hoping with everything I have that 70 is the new 40. Because for me life is just beginning

Oh to be young again and have a 5 year plan, maybe even a 10 year plan. I am one of those people who has spent all of my life second guessing the 5 and 10 year plan of those I love most in the world and pouring all of my energy into making their dream come true.

It took me a long long time to realise that being a second rate version of myself is not very rewarding and now its my turn. Everyday is now the first day of my life and I so want to make every second count.

Its time to take my own hand and lead myself down my own journey to success and show myself age does not define who or where you are. I alone make those decisions and I wont always make the best choices but they will be my choices and I still have time to leave my legacy.

So to start with, its time to stop counting jelly beans and just get on with it

BTW if you find yourself thinking along the same lines here is a link to an insightful post from Shaun Coffey. What fears are holding you back? Luck is when preparation and opportunity collide

Why does agriculture choose war over peace

It goes without saying that relationships are the key to success in business.

Customers, suppliers, legislators, consumers, media, influencers, detractors, thought leaders all of these people are important to our businesses and livestock agriculture is a business

According to their website the RSPCA is recognised by consumers as the foremost authority on animal welfare. According to a 2009 RSPCA survey the RSPCA has 84% spontaneous brand awareness and 95% prompted awareness.₎

“The overall impression of RSPCA was overwhelmingly positive…with 86% of respondents claiming to be either Positive or Very Positive towards RSPCA.” _{(RSPCA Survey 2012)}

On top of this Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with 63% of households owning at least one pet, and 53% owning a dog or cat.

The RSPCA aren’t the only ones doing surveys on their brand awareness and their survey aligns with independent surveys on brand awareness

Now as I discovered in July the NSW RSPCA report shows 60% of complaints to the RSPCA are about mistreatment of companion dogs and horses. See post here

Complaints about farm animals are miniscule and the real problem lies with people the RSPCA call animal hoarders. That is people who see themselves as “rescuers” of animals which in the main means people who ‘collect’ animals like cats and dogs and retired greyhounds and trotters in flabbergasting numbers and have no capacity to feed or house them.

It is also well know that the RSPCA organisation mindset is not the same in all states with agriculture becoming quite concerned to see parts of the RSPCA seemingly aligning themselves with animal activist groups.

What was I was very disappointed to see were the comments at the bottom of the article by Matt Cawood titled “Make us an ally: RSPCA”

According to the article RSPCA chairperson Lynne Bradshaw believes.

THE agriculture sector should adopt the RSPCA as an ally that can help it short-circuit future community concerns about animal welfare,

The RSPCA is one of Australia’s most powerful brands, Mrs Bradshaw told Fairfax Agricultural Media, and is the face of community aspirations concerning animal welfare.

Standing up against the RSPCA is standing up against the community, she believes. RSPCA engagement in improving agricultural practices, on the other hand, will help the sector address the more sensational attacks of the animal rights movement.

“People who join the organisation have to realise that we aren’t anti-farming. Our charter isn’t against using animals for food and fibre. That’s different to the animal rights groups, who say we shouldn’t be using animals for food,” she said.

“There are people who think that if they join RSPCA, they will change our position. But we take in a cross-section of views, and our policies are based on mainstream thinking and current science. We fund a lot of people working to improve livestock welfare.”

For pretty much all her time with RSPCA, Mrs Bradshaw has been frustrated at agriculture’s reluctance to change production methods that she believes society is finding increasingly unacceptable.

“The majority of people are concerned with the cost of food, but now there’s a real awakening to the plight of animals in intensive farming systems and during transport. More people are asking about that aspect of food production.”

Persisting with systems that antagonise the community is a self-defeating cycle, she argues.

“We’re community-driven, and the community tends to call the shots on what it perceives. The information the community is getting is that animal welfare is a hot topic.”

Media is geared for sensation, and organisations that harness the media recognise this. Every sensational exposure of animal welfare abuse heightens community pressure for better production systems.

“All the work we do behind the scenes with farmers doesn’t get reported,” Mrs Bradshaw said. “It’s the other things that leap out of the box.”

Her hope is that agriculture will recognise these shifts in community attitude, and work with RSPCA to consistently build credibility with the public.

I personally think she makes a lot of valid points

Whether the majority of agriculture sees the RSPCA as adversaries or not we can and should try to have relationships with the people who disagree with us and who agriculture sees as working against agriculture

The strength of agricultural community lies in the strength of the connections that we have with each other and everyone up and down the supply chain . With strong connections, people have the power to make real change. Building these connections takes time; but it is worth it.

The selection of strategic partners with whom we collaborate is now becoming a life or death issue for livestock agriculture

For generations agriculture has built moats between themselves and their detractors. Sadly at times we have often build moats between us and the people who buy what we produce

Today success lies in building bridges. Bridges allow you to build trust, partnerships and to develop strategic alliances, have conversations and when necessary negotiate

The RSPCA has extended an olive branch to agriculture, dare I say we would be taking a big step backwards not to have the conversation

Well said Matt Cawood

Don’t tell anyone its a secret

The Australian dairy industry is exciting, its dynamic and it has a great story to tell. I know because my family has been dairy farming in this country for almost 200 years.

But for some reason I am yet to figure out at the top it seems to be much more important to be seen as traditional and doing the right thing rather than being seen as trailblazers.

Over the past three months I have attended the farewell of chairman of two very different research and development corporations, Not only different in the food or fibre they produce but very very very different in mindset,

Tonight it was on the top floor of a 5 star hotel in the Melbourne CBD. There were lots of speeches and platitudes and references to wives at home keeping the fires burning.

The previous function was held in farmer heartland by an industry that prides itself on being trailblazers and isn’t afraid to shout if from the rooftops.

There were some things that were the same. There were lots of speeches. Very different speeches. Speeches that shared with the audience the new direction, the innovative and pioneering research that the chairman and his team had undertaken during his tenure. Then there was the handover to the new chairman. No glass ceilings in this industry. Yes a woman and it was clear that the audience believed she had the potential to take the industry to the moon and back . What was also very noticeable was the number of young people in the room, sadly lacking in Melbourne tonight

This is why I love working with young people in agriculture, they find it exciting and they want to tell people. They want to be trailblazers and they want to be the change that agriculture must have.

Will I see this at the top in the dairy industry in my lifetime? The jury is still out on that one.

What I do know is what I did hear about the ‘farmer’s wife’ mentioned in the first part of this post was she sounded awesome I wanted to hear her story.