Welcome to this streamlined final issue of the Rural Leader for 2023.

In an alternative title to The Rural Leader, we propose, The year – where the heck has it gone?

For us, the year looked something like this:

Two Kellogg Programmes delivered with close to 40 graduates, The 50th Kellogg Programme celebrated, four new Nuffield Scholars selected, the pilot of the Engage Programme and one Value Chain Innovation Programme delivered, one Headwaters Programme, two new Nuffield Trustees joined the board and a new Independent Trustee soon to join…

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…a new Rural Leaders team member onboard, a win in the Rabobank People Development category – Beef and Lamb New Zealand Awards, one Rural Leaders Agribusiness Summit, one Nuffield Triennial, and finally, Lisa Rogers ascended to CEO’ship. A positive and productive year for us.

In this issue’s Ideas that Grow Podcast, Emma Crutchley, 2018 Kellogg Scholar, talks to Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly managing editor about some of the challenges sheep and beef farming faces in the water-short Maniototo.

Emma discusses her Kellogg research, and the work being done on her family’s Otago sheep, beef and arable farm ‘Puketoi’ to find the value-add.

Our 50th Kellogg Programme cohort have their research reports live on the Rural Leaders’ site. Reports cover topics such as: Potential for New Zealand’s dairy expansion in Nigeria, Surviving sheep drench resistance, and the Economics of emissions reduction in the kiwifruit supply chain, to name a few.

And in this issue’s Rural Reader book review, Dr Patrick Aldwell looks at some excellent holiday reading with ‘The Earth Transformed – An Untold History’ by Peter Frankopan (2023).

And on a final note, Dr Patrick Aldwell marked his 25th year of involvement in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. We’ll share more on that in the New Year.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Rural Leader and your break.

The Team at Rural Leaders