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The Mackenzie Study – Nuffield and Kellogg latest results.

The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation have initiated research alongside the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, in collaboration with Otago Business School and the Department of Economics, to investigate the contribution of Kellogg and Nuffield Alumni to Food and Fibre.

Research covering 72 years of Nuffield and 43 years of Kellogg Rural Scholarship.

The objective of the research has been to collect data measuring within-person gains in entrepreneurial leadership and capability-building that occurs because of the Kellogg and Nuffield programmes.

The first survey was conducted with the New Zealand Nuffield Alums (178 at the time of the survey – with 68 survey participants). Through this process, the Team learned several ways to refine the survey and then ran a similar survey with Kellogg Alums (960 at the time of the survey – with 234 survey participants).

Entrepreneurship is frequently measured as the proportion of people in self-employment. By that broad measure, the Study has found that rural entrepreneurship is very much alive and well among alums.

This latest Mackenzie Study report builds on the progress report from February 2022 and as such, offers a recalibration of some earlier published headline results.

The methods used to measure entrepreneurial leadership skills (ELS) draw on international peer-reviewed academic literature in experimental economics, psychology, and management science.

The Study measured real-world entrepreneurial achievements by counting new business starts, FTE jobs created, export revenues, and leadership roles. This contributes to the participant’s ELS profile.

Characteristics of the Nuffield and the Kellogg Scholar.

Nuffield Scholars are, on average, in their 40s. They are rigorously selected and undertake a self-guided international exploration of Food and Fibre challenges and opportunities.

The Nuffield Scholarship is runs over 15 months and includes at least 16 weeks of international travel.

Nuffield aims to develop the insight and foresight to keep New Zealand at the global forefront of Food and Fibre-producing nations. Leadership development is an outcome of each Scholar’s experiential journey rather than an output of the Programme.

By contrast, Kellogg Scholars are, on average, in their 30s. The Kellogg

The Programme is facilitated and runs over six months. Each programme can take up to 24 Scholars, meaning more Kellogg Scholars graduate than Nuffield Scholars. Leadership capabilities are a defined learning output of the Programme.

This is likely a first-of-its-kind cross-sectional study, designed to compare each participant at multiple time points and will give New Zealand’s Food and Fibre sector a world-leading insight into the art and science of building entrepreneurial capability.

Here are the headline results from the Study.

Nuffield.

The average Nuffield alum has started 3.6 businesses, played a direct role in creating 47.0 FTE jobs, and served in 14.0 senior leadership roles.

Over 40% of Nuffield alums have served in government-appointed or elected leadership roles. At the time of survey, 178 Nuffield alums had collectively served in an estimated 2,488 leadership roles (other than government roles), played a direct role in creating an estimated 641 businesses, and 8,295 FTE roles.

Kellogg.

The average Kellogg alum has started 1.7 businesses, created 35.0 FTE jobs, and served in 14.0 senior leadership roles.

Approximately 26.9% of Kellogg alums have served in government-appointed or elected leadership roles. Since the inception of the New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, 960 Kellogg alums have collectively served in over 26,858 leadership roles (other than government roles), played a direct role in creating an estimated 1,632 businesses, and 33,600 FTE roles.

The collective Nuffield and Kellogg Alum’s results.

These collective results include the creation of an estimated 2,273 businesses, 41,895
jobs, and service in 29,347 leadership roles.

Just as importantly, both alum groups reported better personal outcomes after attending the programmes, including better well-being, expanded social networks, and higher earnings. This is an impressive contribution.

Both alum groups demonstrated economic, social, and environmental contributions to New Zealand’s Food and Fibre sector. One of the notable findings is the very high rate of self-employment compared to New Zealand as a whole (over 60% for Nuffield and Kellogg, compared to 7.5% nationally, 28% in the dairy industry, and 30% in the red meat and wool industry).

The Team have seen very few data sets in New Zealand with self-employed proportions this large.

Where to next for the Mackenzie Study?

The Mackenzie Study also includes foundational data for longitudinal research. The analysis of this is currently underway. The longitudinal study is focused on collection of before-after survey data for just the Kellogg Programme.

The intention is for this data collection to continue as future cohorts’ baseline and exit surveys are added. This, in order to achieve greater statistical precision and an ever-strengthening evidence base documenting gains in entrepreneurial leadership associated with participation in the Kellogg Programme.

Download the full Mackenzie Study Report here.

Changes to Nuffield NZ and NZRLT Boards.

Craige Mackenzie and Michael Tayler step down - Murray King and Steve Wilkins join Boards.

We can’t really do justice to the service given to the Nuffield NZ and NZRLT Boards by Craige Mackenzie and Michael Tayler in this short piece. So we will another time.

However, after serving eight years on the the Nuffield NZ Board they are stepping down and will be hugely missed. Their passion and enthusiasm for the Sector will see them both involved in Nuffield and with Rural Leaders in the future, we’re certain.

With Craige and Michael’s departure, the Nuffield NZ/NZRLT Boards welcome Steve Wilkins, 2013 Nuffield Scholar and Murray King, 2003 Nuffield Scholar. Both Murray and Steve bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Here’s a short introduction to the new Trustees.

Steve Wilkins, 2013 Nuffield Scholar.

Steve farms in Northern Southland in a mixed cropping and livestock family farming business. He is a Director and Vice Chair of FAR ( Foundation for Arable Research).

Steve is also a director of United Wheat Growers and past Chair of Federated Farmers Southland Arable. Steve was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2013, and studied the synergies between the dairy and arable industries.

He has three daughters and lives with his partner Amanda in Athol.

On his appointment Steve says, “It’s great to be joining the Board and getting a feel for the workings of the Trust. Looking to the future there are challenges across the primary industries more than ever. It is increasingly important we have the pathway to develop leadership within agriculture to deal with these challenges as they present themselves.

I look forward to being able to build on the work of the current and past directors including Craige and Mike who have shaped the Programme to what it is today.”

Murray King, 2003 Nuffield Scholar.

Murray King and his wife Sarah farm a number of dairy properties, plus associated support blocks, in North Canterbury and Nelson.

Murray has a background in farm management consultancy and has other business interests in Canterbury as well as in overseas dairying and food processing. Murray was elected to Rural Leaders’ Investing Partner LIC’s Board in 2009 and has been chair since 2012.

Murray was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2003 and studied staffing solutions for primary industries. He is also a graduate of the Te Hono Stanford Bootcamp.

Active in the sector Murray’s knowledge and experience is evident in the range and number of other directorships he holds, these include: Appleby Limited, Callura Dairies Management Limited (Chair), Cawthron Institute, and New Zealand Dairy Dessert Company Limited (Chair) (Director and Shareholder), to name just a few.

Like fellow Nuffield NZ/NZRLT Trustee Steve Wilkins, Murray is excited about the opportunity to build on the excellent work of Craige Mackenzie and Michael Tayler.

Hamish Marr – Glyphosate, Nuffield, and cropping today.

Listen to "Hamish Marr - Glyphosate, Nuffield, and cropping today." on Spreaker.

Hamish Marr is a fifth generation mixed arable farmer from Methven, Canterbury. He received a Nuffield Scholarship in 2019, completing his research on the topic
Can we farm without glyphosate?

Hamish is Vice Chairman of the New Zealand Seed Authority and is involved in two groups at the foundation for Arable Research, the Research and Development Advisory Committee, and ARG – the Arable Research Group here in Mid-Canterbury.

Listen to Hamish’s podcast above or read the transcript below.

Bryan Gibson – Managing Editor of Farmer’s Weekly.

Welcome to the ‘Ideas that Grow’ podcast. I’m Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly. With me today is Hamish Marr. G’day, Hamish, how’s it going?

Hamish Marr – 2019 Nuffield Scholar and mixed arable farmer.
Good thanks, Bryan.

BG: And where are you calling from today?

HM: I’m calling from Methven, about an hour, southwest of Christchurch. Lovely winter’s day here.

BG: And you run a farming operation there?

One farm, five generations of farmers.

HM: Yes, we’ve got a 500-hectare mixed arable farm, 400 hectares of different cereal crops and small seed crops, and we have pasture enterprise on the side of that. So, we run dairy heifers twelve months of the year, and we have finishing lambs in the autumn and dairy cows in the winter.

BG: How’s the year been for you so far?

HM: Well, it’s been mixed. I mean, we had a tremendous harvest with great weather at harvest time and good yields across the board, and a pretty good autumn. So Canterbury is flush with feed this year as opposed to other seasons just gone.

BG: That’s good to hear. And have you been doing that for a while?

HM: Yes, our family has been on our place since 1873. I’m the fifth generation. If any of my children decide to carry on, they’ll be 6th generation. So, you were here for a wee while.

BG: It’s great to see a farm that’s handed down through the generations and is still thriving.

HM: Yeah. I mean, me personally, I did a BCom Ag in the late the late nineties. And then was a Field Officer for Ravensdown Fertiliser for four years and then came home to the farm in about 2005. So, I’ve been farming not quite 20 years now.

The Nuffield experience.

BG: You were a Nuffield Scholar a couple of years ago. How did you find that experience?

HM: Look, there’s probably not words that can describe it.

A once in a lifetime, life changing, very humbling, eye-opening, eye-watering year of my life. Looking at everything in food production, how we live, farming and politics and everything in one year, it was amazing. Fascinating. I think you ask every Nuffield Scholar; they would say the same thing – beyond their wildest dreams.

Glyphosate use in New Zealand.

BG: Now, your studies focused on the use of glyphosate, which is often a contentious issue in agriculture these days, isn’t it?

HM: Well, it’s very contentious, and that’s the reason why I chose it. I chose it because it was in the news a lot at the time, and there were rumours in New Zealand and certainly around the world, that it was going to be deregistered.

Our farming systems, certainly the farming systems in Canterbury here, and most of New Zealand, where the use of Roundup underpins how we do things and how we move between pastures and crops. If we took that away, it would completely change the way we do things. I wanted to understand how our production systems would look if we were to do away with it.

BG: Obviously, as part of your studies, you do a bit of travel abroad. What did you find out about how different nations use glyphosate around the world?

Glyphosate use overseas.

HM: I spent a year looking at farming systems all around the world, and I hate the term conventional farming, but I looked at conventional farming: organics, regen Ag and inverted commerce, rice farming, horticulture orchards, vegetable production, indoor animal agriculture, extensive and intensive farming all around the world.

There’s a whole lot of conclusions, and the first one is that everywhere you go around the world is different. New Zealand is unique in the way we do things. Unique in the fact that we’re dominated by animal agriculture.

Our animal agriculture is predominantly outside, so the animals go to the food, as opposed to many countries where the food goes to the animals. Because those countries are cutting and carrying feed to animals, their systems are predominantly arable based. By very nature of that, the usage of Roundup compared to what we do here in New Zealand is significantly higher.

We have a real point of difference in this country. If you think about the Roundup story in isolation, we don’t use a lot of it just because of the way our farming system is. And also, the fact that our farming systems are pasture based is, again, another point of difference compared to a lot of other places.

BG: Do you think it’s one of those situations which quite often comes up when global conversations around food production make their way to New Zealand, that we’re not really part of the mix because we have our own way of doing things?

Glyphosate application rates in NZ compared to abroad.

HM: Yes. Look, I visited a place in the UK, a large place, and this was a lightbulb visit for me. They reduced their glyphosate usage on this farm. Big place. When I say big, about 30,000 ha. They reduced their glyphosate usage by 90% simply by adding sheep into their farming mix. And I suddenly thought, well we’re already doing that in New Zealand. That’s standard practice.

So, when you look down into the numbers and the application rates on a total per hectare basis in this country, we’re so far down compared to a lot of other developed countries for that fact.

I also saw the impacts of the other extreme Roundup ready crops in the Northern Hemisphere, United States and Canada, where applications of four or five times a year are not uncommon. When you multiply that up by the millions of hectares involved, it’s easy to understand how Roundup is now in the food chain in a lot of those countries.

BG: Now, despite finding out about the issues with some of those Roundup ready crops and those problems that they can have in some parts of the world here in New Zealand, while we don’t have those, Roundup is still pretty important to some of our farming systems, isn’t it?

Glyphosate as a strategic farming tool.

HM: I think in that sense we are a real outlier. That starts from the simplest of things. We’re a small island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so we’ve got this lovely temperate maritime climate. A lot of our competitors are continental countries. So in its simplest form, their weather patterns are completely different. And the weather patterns dictate what you do.

The way people farm, say, in Europe, it’s evolved over 2000 years. Well, agriculture in this country, we’ve only been really at it for a couple of hundred years. We’re a very young country compared to a lot of other places. With that, when some of the things aren’t ingrained in us as a population of people.

BG: And then you have the flow on effects of tilling the soil, which has been found to be bad for soil loss and releases carbon.

HM: Yeah, all that stuff. The nuts and the bolts of it is that we can’t on a global scale or even a national scale, do away with that as a strategic tool. Because what it does in sort of broad-acre farming, and I term pastoral farming in this as well, is that it reduces the amount of time in between crops because it takes away the work that cultivation used to do prior to its use.

Prior to Roundup’s use the way to control weeds and to establish a new pasture or a new crop, it involved about six-months-worth of cultivation because it was the cultivation that killed the remnants of the pre pasture, as it were, or crop. Roundup does that in one application, and you can sow your next pasture or crop or whatever it is that day.

To go backwards, away from that, you think about take six months of production out and that has huge impacts. I’m not saying that’s true in every situation because it 100% isn’t true in every situation, but it is a reality in a lot of cases.

BG: How did the report received? Once it came out?

Taking the Nuffield research to the people.

HM: Well, I have done probably between 50 and 60 little talks around the country and town halls and to Lions clubs and to farm groups. I’ve been to two garden clubs. All sorts of different groups have been interested in what I have to say.

I think I just tell the story of exactly how farming systems work and how all these things that we do on farm work and why we do them. I found myself, in a lot of cases, having to compare farming to your vegetable garden and to think about a cropping farm as a vegetable garden, and your dairy farm or your sheep farm as your lawn. Your lawn stays down for infinitum, as does a lot of pasture. So, we don’t actually do anything to them.

Your vegetable garden, on the other hand, is being turned over all the time into something new. There’s a very clear rotation involved and all of those things I had to think about things a wee bit, but hopefully I got the story across.

BG: Now you’ve completed your report. What’s life been like for you since then? You back on the farm?

Nuffield, Kellogg and giving back to the Sector.

HM: I have been on the farm, and that keeps me very busy. But also, I am the Vice Chairman of the New Zealand Seed Authority. That’s an industry good group involved in setting policy within the certified seed industry. I sit on that board as a representative from the herbage seed subsection of Federated Farmers. We, as the name suggests, represent the farmers that grow herbage seeds: ryegrasses, clovers, cocksfoots, fescues, etc.

I’m involved in two groups at the foundation for Arable Research, the Research and Development Advisory Committee, and ARG – the Arable Research Group here in Mid-Canterbury. I’m on a couple of other things in our local town, so, no, I keep pretty busy, to be honest.

BG: They don’t call it rural leaders for nothing, I guess. Certainly sets you up to be one.

HM: Yeah, it’s a privilege. It’s a privilege to represent farmers on those things, and I do enjoy it.

Anyone involved in food production should consider a Kellogg or a Nuffield. It opens your eyes to so many other things and it challenges your perspective. I went away with these preconceived ideas about what we do and why we do it, and then went and looked at all these other things and came home with a completely different understanding and perspective of how things are done. Also, how things fit together and what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong.

BG: Just before we wrap up Hamish, what are some of the issues you’re facing right now as an Arable farmer?

The main issues facing arable farmers.

HM: Well, that’s a great question, Bryan. I think the first one, and I think every arable farmer would agree with me on, is one of viability. I mentioned at the start we had a great harvest, and we did. But we face, like a lot of other farmers, increasing costs, and very static prices for our produce at the other end.

So, yes, our prices have increased a wee bit, but nowhere to the extent that our input costs have. And a lot of crops we grow now, we are barely breaking even when you consider our fixed costs of production.

We grow a lot of high value small seeds in this country for our own export, but also for domestic use. Our domestic production takes up about 20% of the total produced of the 80% that’s left.

Prices have really fallen away, and demand has fallen away over the last twelve months. To the extent that there is seed sheds full of seed that would have been exported, that is not going to be exported in the next twelve months.

Those supply chain issues will have effects on the ground for farmers, and there will be challenges with what arable farmers do produce on their farms in the next twelve months, two years, three years, because these things take a little while to unwind.

“It’s not all beer and skittles out there.”

Options for cropping farmers in the next two years are going to be challenged by not only profitability, but actually by options as well. It’s not all beer and skittles out there.

It’s interesting, we had a wonderful harvest, as I said, but that wonderful harvest has filled up the stores in this country, and we’ve seen prices drop domestically for grain because of the surplus. So what’s good on one hand is not so good on the other. The industry has got its own challenges.

I would finish that by saying now, of course, that the world wants plant-based food, so the future variable farming I see is rosy. We just have to get there.

BG: Hopefully just a matter of waiting out this next couple of years and you can thrive after that.

HM: Yeah, that’s it.

BG: Thanks for listening to Ideas That Grow, a Rural Leaders Podcast in partnership with Massey and Lincoln Universities, AGAMRDT and Food HQ, this podcast was presented by Farmers Weekly.

For more information on Rural Leaders, the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships or the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, please visit ruralleaders.co.nz

Hamish Murray podcast - Building stronger on-farm teams

Hamish Murray: Building stronger on-farm teams by getting out of the way.

Kate Scott: Front footing the fast-moving regulatory environment.

A new partnership with Purdue and Lincoln Universities.

Rural Leaders, in partnership with Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business, and Lincoln University, bring this exciting (and essential) new programme to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Precision Selling: Building Relationships with Large Farmers – Lincoln June 21-22 and Hamilton June 26-27.

Managing key accounts requires a diverse skill set – skills often more closely aligned with management than traditional sales.

Programme content will be very similar for both locations with the same content being presented, but different examples tailored to each region.

During this two-day seminar, Dr. Scott Downey, will lead you in specifically addressing strategies for working with large-scale producers in the evolving agricultural marketplace.

You’ll explore the complexities of working with growers and delve into the areas of strategic account planning, resource allocation, information analysis and the use of sophisticated selling tools.

This programme is especially beneficial if you are responsible for: serving and selling to key accounts, managing relationships with key clients, serving local and regional markets, developing strategies for evaluating customers on profit and growth potential, and integrating technical and sales efforts with customers.

To find out more or to register head to Purdue University’s programme page.

For questions about this programme or more information on who should attend, please contact:

Hamish Gow – hamish.gow@lincoln.ac.nz / 021 423 380,
Lisa Rogers – lisarogers@ruralleaders.co.nz / 021 1396 881 or
Taryn Nance – tnance@purdue.edu / 00 + 1 + 765 496 2447.

The Rural Reader. April book review.

The Rural Reader – Book reviews by
Dr Patrick Aldwell.

Late in 2022, with the advent of ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) took a great leap into our everyday lives, especially in education.

ChatGPT, one of several generative chatbots, is just one of many AI applications that more and more of us use every day. Kissinger (one of the world’s leading statesmen) and friends, highlight many other uses especially in business, agriculture, and medicine (including the identification of an antibiotic that until now was unknown to humanity).

Led by an author who is a genuine big-picture thinker, this book provides a dispassionate view of current uses and opportunities that new AI tools could provide. In my view, this book helps us better understand the considerable implications and opportunities for our young people as they navigate their AI-derived futures.

Patrick Aldwell
April 13, 2023

The Rural Reader. March book review.

Tragedy at Pike River. How and why the 29 men died. Rebecca MacFie (2013)

Rebecca MacFie, one of New Zealand’s leading investigative journalists, has produced what is arguably a master class in governance – as it should not be practised.

Updated in 2022, this gripping and at times frustrating read, backed by intensive research of documents and personal interviews, challenges the quality of governance behind the decisions leading to the deaths of “The Pike 29”, the coal miners who died on that fateful day: November 19, 2010.

Professional directors who have spoken to Kellogg courses, and Kelloggers who have since read it, have encouraged participants to read and learn from this important book – as do I.

Patrick Aldwell
21 March, 2023

The 2023 Nuffield Triennial Conference.

On summing up the Summit and Triennial Murray King, Rural Leaders’ Summit Chair said,

“We couldn’t have hoped for a stronger group of people to share this experience with. From our hosts to our delegates, and from our Summit speakers to those who attended the Nuffield Triennial Conference and the Rural Leaders’ Summit.

It was an incredible opportunity to share knowledge, ideas and for deeper connection to the people in the global food and fibre sector.”

Nuffield Triennial Conference Committee Chair, Michael Tayler, “…it has been a privilege to spend the past week with delegates.

We hope that they have enjoyed themselves, renewed old friendships, made new ones and have gained insights and knowledge they can take back to their respective fields.

We now look forward to visiting Ireland in 2026.”

We’ll do a full wrap up of the Triennial in April’s Rural Leader, including sharing some of the professional images and video taken during the tours and a few key statistics.

For now, we share some of the best images from delegates and few of our own too.

The 2023 Nuffield Triennial Conference in images.

Friday 24 March

2023 Nuffield Triennial Welcome Function and Dinner – Cardboard Cathedral.

Image One: Two Nuffield Tractors welcome guests at the front of the venue.

Image Two: Lucie Douma, 2023 Nuffield Scholar, with her Nuffield Ireland counterparts.

CULTURE: Traditional Banks Peninsula Tour.

Image One: Matt Iremonger speaking about Willesden Farm.

Image Two: Don Macfarlane, James Parsons and others listening.

Image Three: Onuku Marae, near Akaroa.

Sunday 26 March

LAND: New Approach to Scale.

Image One: Dinner, The Tannery. Video of deceased Australian Scholar, Chris Reichstein.

Image Two: Pamu Farms dairy operation, Eyrewell.

Image Three: Tour group at King’s Truffles.

Image Four: Bill Lee, 1987 Nuffield Scholar, talking black truffles.

Monday 27 March

2023 Rural Leaders Agribusiness Summit.

Image One: The final panel discussion of the Summit.

Image Two: Lunch break in the Town Hall foyer.

Tuesday 28 March

Tekapo.

Image One: Delegates are met with snow in Tekapo.

Wednesday 29 March

LAND: Mackenzie Basin Majesty.

Image One: Haldon Station – Mackenzie Basin.

Image Two: Hosts address the tour at Haldon Station.

Thursday 30 March

LAND: Natural Delights.

Image One: The road south.

Image Two: Cardrona Distillery.

Friday 31 March

LAND: The Seeds of Change.

Image One: Wilkins Farming. Steve Wilkins, 2013 Nuffield Scholar, on left.

Future: A Centre for Growth.

Image Two: Plant and Food Research Summerfruit Breeding Programme.

Saturday 1 April

Image One: International delegates on a morning swim. Lake Wakatipu.

Image Two: The Gala Dinner, circa midnight.

Image Three: Nadia Lim and Steve Wilkins, Royalburn Station.

Sunday 2 April

Technical Tours begin.

Image One: Alliance operation.

Image Two: In the Woolshed.

Image Three: Eric Watson and David Weath explaining world record wheat production.

Monday 3 April

Technical Tours begin: Arable and Innovation/Animal Pasture.

Image One: Last stop – Lorne Station.

Image Two: Back to the start! Tour arrives back at Distinction Christchurch.

A Rural Leaders Agribusiness Summit Summary.

By the time 2023 Rural Leaders Agribusiness Summit attendees heard from Devry Boughner Vorwerk, she had spent two days visiting local farming operations and attending functions on the Nuffield Triennial Conference’s opening weekend. There was also an interview with Rural Exchange – REX too.

As Keynote Speaker at Monday’s Summit, Devry helped set the tone of the day, with ‘Getting Grounded in the Humanverse’. The Humanverse, as Devry explained it, is this,

“The Humanverse challenges us to remain focused on the human condition and to end human suffering.”

It does this by “…disrupting today’s business practices, profit models, static industry infrastructure, organisational cultures and designs, investment strategies, leadership decisions, public policies, and all other underlying factors impacting food security and nature, to ensure that humanity flourishes now and into future generations.”

You can learn more about the Humanverse by listening to March’s Ideas that Grow Podcast. Or, take a look at a recent post below. In the lead up to the Summit, Devry outlined the concept stating that [in the Humanverse],

“We’re not anti-technology. We are not anti-capitalism. We are pro-humanity.”

Here’s a recent LinkedIn post giving more detail.

Devry’s talk was pitched well and provided a plausible and actionable reframe of the ‘how do we do this’?

What is humanity asking of you? What are people asking of you? What is nature asking of you?

Here’s a breakdown of the Summit’s speakers through the posts and thoughts of those in the audience.

Our World: Our Natural Environment.

Erica van Reenen: Climate Change 101.

Erica bravely stepped into the programme after a speaker withdrew at the last-minute. Erica delivered a fantastic talk, summed up in a post by Ariana Estoras here,

“Erica put the extensive facts on the table on what farmers have to work with to lower methane emissions (not a lot, yet), in a compelling and pragmatic way without any spin or agenda. Except to remind us all that there is still a long way to go and we need to be bold and brave and stay the journey together.

Ka mau te wehi e hoa!”

Karin Stark: The Power of On-Farm Renewables.

Karin flew in from Australia to deliver an excellent talk on the role of on-farm renewables in reducing energy costs and emissions. It was a strong example of the real solutions that underpinned the Summit.

Tom Sturgess: Balancing the Needs.

Tom discussed the importance of embracing global challenges through conversation, innovation, and collaboration, as well as changing behaviour at scale.

As Olivia Weatherburn summed up in a post,

“Tom Sturgess, owner of Lone Star Farms and founder of methane mitigation ventures, woke us up with his insightful and to the point thoughts on food production and emission reductions. ‘We can do this but let’s use the science.’”

And Penny Clark-Hall offered her take out too, quoting Tom in a post,

“We can do it without gutting the Ag sector. History has shown it comes down to the consumer, their perception, and desires.”

Simon Love enjoyed this quote from Tom, on his focus on on-farm sustainability: “It’s good for the animals – they have a lovely life. Except one bad day…”

Volker Kuntzsch: Algae and the Blue Wave Economy.

Volker spoke about the potential value of algae and the sustainability opportunities that lie within our oceans which make up an unbelievable 96% of our economic zone.

Penny Clark-Hall quoted Volker in a post, “We’ve got an indigenous knowledge base which is amazing.” 

Our People: Consumer Trends and Trade.

Vangelis Vitalis: New Zealand Agriculture and Global Trade.

Discussing a global view of trade, from a New Zealand perspective, Vangelis delivered an informative talk. Penny Clark-Hall’s key take out, in her post, “The environment is featuring strongly in FTA’s and we need a China+ strategy.”

Simon Love enjoyed this quote from Vangelis Vitalis on maintaining and growing our exports through sustainable practices:

“Doing nothing is not an option, and we have to be able to prove that we’re taking action”.

Lain Jager: GM and the Future of Agriculture.

Lain looked at the current conversation on alternative proteins, innovation and genetic technology. Within that, where the opportunities are and the critical conversations required to grow value for New Zealand’s Food and Fibre Sector.

Penny Clark-Hall posted a quote of Lain’s, “Our sector is like a big dining room where we have the privilege of knowing everyone.” 

Lain also issued a challenge, captured in an image by Hamish Marr.

‘Doubling export revenue – while halving emissions.’

Emma Parsons: Managing Sustainability and Change.

Emma discussed how customers are playing a greater influence on what happens behind the farm gate and how farmers can and need to adapt to changing customer expectations.

On Emma’s talk, Penny Clark-Hall posted her take-out,

“What is good for the environment needs to be good for the farmer and the cow.” 

David Foote: Alternative Sources of Capital for Food and Fibre.

Chairman of the Australian Cattle Council, David talked about how businesses in the food and agriculture industries access capital.

On the business of running a farming operation, we love this quote from David,

“The best form of fertiliser for a farm is the owner’s boots.”

Our Future: Entrepreneurship and Leadership.

Chris Parsons: Developing our Future Leaders.

Chris spoke about the current state of leadership development in New Zealand’s Food and Fibre Sector. He drew on some of the findings from recent research conducted between Rural Leaders and the Food and Fibre Cove.

Chris also discussed the roles of Kellogg and Nuffield on rural leadership.

Penny Clark-Hall’s key take-out from this talk was, “The real value of leadership is to unleash the potential of others. [We need to] Move from an ego-system to an eco-system.”

Olivia Weatherburn added a quote from Chris in her summary of his talk, “‘We need to grow people like we grow hoggets’, nurture them from the start, unleash their power and build on their potential.’”

John Penno: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In a post Olivia Weatherburn said, “John Penno from Leaft Foods highlighted the importance of holding our decisions up to the lens of climate change as it isn’t going to go away and every decision will influence it.”

John’s work in developing Rubisco Protein Concentrate from the leaves of common forage crops, is another tangible example of real solutions in practice.

Mark MacLeod-Smith: Modern farming – Thinking Differently.

Mark MacLeod-Smith, CEO of Halter, talked about modern methods of farming and their role in simplifying farming while also combating issues like climate change.

A key take out from Mark’s talk, for Penny Clark-Hall was,

“If you want abnormal results you have to act abnormally.”

Dr Ellen Joan Nelson: The Future of Work.

Dr Ellen Joan Nelson spoke about her research and ideas on the future of work in New Zealand and further afield.

As Olivia Weatherburn eloquently summed up in a post,

“Dr Nelson was a bundle of energy and passion that just jumped off the stage at us.

She highlighted that if you give leaders belonging, autonomy and purpose they will have the ability to be authentic and authentic leaders are the best leaders because they are themselves.”

Julia Jones: Working Together for the Greater Good.

Julia spoke about collaboration in order to meet customer needs and sustainability goals while remaining profitable.

Olivia Weatherburn neatly sums up her talk in a post,

“…the powerhouse known as Julia Jones gave everyone’s abs a workout with her to the point yet humorous and thought provoking talk. It’s pretty simple, ‘…Life is not fair get over it and get on with it. Support people on how not to fear change. If you’re driving the fear then you are not leading.’”

And from Julia herself, in a post-Summit post on her talk, here are three key points,

“😥 Life isn’t an eternal road of joy, (be super boring if it was). Shit really does happen, pretending it doesn’t, or trying to side step it never ends well. Trust me it’s good for the soul to hit it head on sometimes.

🤷‍♀️ If we want to attract talent into your sectors, let’s not spend 90% of the time complaining about it. It’s cool to be honest about some challenges but there is a fine line between complaining and explaining.

💨 It’s healthy to vent but be aware of the impact your venting is having on those around you. If you are reinforcing fear you are not leading.”

In summing up the entire 2023 Rural Leaders Agribusiness Summit.

In a post by Emily Walker, the top takeaways for her were:

The time to change is now. To get to where we need to and want to be is going to require radically different action.

Take people on the journey, tell the story, empower teams and communities. Be transparent, evidence-based, share the data. (This applies locally, nationally and to our international customers).

Get out of the ruck and into the helicopter.

Simon Love gave this summation in a post-Summit post,

“The conference on Monday was an incredible line-up of speakers. A couple of highlights for me were the infectious energy (and to-the-point language) of both Tom Sturgess, and Julia Jones, the insights from Mark MacLeod-Smith into Halter’s journey, and Dr Ellen Joan Nelson’s insight of belonging, autonomy and purpose being at the core of a healthy and exciting workplace.”

And the final word to Julia Jones,

“Thanks for this opportunity Rural Leaders to be part of this event, it was such a special gift to make a pig of myself at the trough of knowledge is hugely appreciated. Lessons galore were gleaned from speakers and attendees a like 🙏”

The state of leadership development in New Zealand’s Food and Fibre Sector.

In August 2022, The Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence (FFCoVE) requested the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust conduct research into the current state of leader development in the Food and Fibre sector.

Click on the image to access the report.

The Food and Fibre sector includes the primary production industries (other than mining) and the related processing industries. It also includes service industries along the value chain from producer to final consumer, including providers of transport, storage, distribution, marketing, and sales.

Working with sector stakeholders, the project will collaboratively define, design and develop an integrated approach tailored to Food and Fibre to help establish leadership development pathways for our people to grow and succeed.

Interviews have and continue to be conducted, along with focus groups. The research rigour ensures perspectives are fully understood from across the span, strata, and demography of the sector.

Interviews have also been conducted with United Kingdom and Australian counterparts, and conversations with selected individuals outside of the sector. Most of the interviews were with people in senior roles.

The first report is now complete. It delivers findings on the state of leadership development in our Food and Fibre sector. The report suggests six principles of leadership that are relevant to the sector.

You can read the full report at the link at the top of this article.

The second phase of the research will seek wider perspectives. To achieve this the research team will run several focus groups during March and April.

We’ll keep you posted on the research as it progresses.

The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme has been developing leaders for the rural and agri-food sector since 1979.

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Fast-track your food and fibre skills, knowledge, and confidence.

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Our World: Our Natural Environment.

Erica van Reenen: Climate Change 101.

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Tom Sturgess: Balancing the Needs.

Volker Kuntzsch: Algae and the Blue Wave Economy.

Our People: Consumer Trends and Trade.

Vangelis Vitalis: New Zealand Agriculture and Global Trade.

Lain Jager: GM and the Future of Agriculture.

Emma Parsons: Managing Sustainability and Change.

David Foote: Alternative Sources of Capital for Food and Fibre.

Our Future: Entrepreneurship and Leadership.

Chris Parsons: Developing our Future Leaders.

John Penno: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Julia Jones: Working Together for the Greater Good.

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Click on the image to access the report.

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