Ep 3 - Chasing Unicorns

Covid-19 has us back together discussing how this has affected us as a family, as farmers, and as an industry as a whole. A candid, disjointed conversation because that feels like where we are at right now... In limbo.  Waiting to see what is next, where it will affect next, and when will it finally be over. We talk about this "great pause" and the problems we face today, but also the undiscovered opportunities that await. Agriculture has been on an emotional rollercoaster during this pandemic, and the jury's out as to how this ride will end. https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0

In today’s episode, we talk with Clare Peltzer another Nuffield scholar we both have had the pleasure of hosting at our farm last fall. Clare farms 9,000 ewes in Tasmania and up until recently, also doubled as a part-time school teacher. For her Nuffield project, Clare tackled the age-old topic of how we entice youth into agriculture as a profession. Hoping to search the world for that one country who got it right.... what she found is that we all have our work cut out for us in this plight. Taking the first step, Clare has embarked on a new business in hopes of connecting kids to agriculture by going back to the basics... By opening up the farm gate and letting them in.

In this episode, Mark interviews Richard Heath, a former Nuffield scholar who works as Executive Director of Australia Farm Institute.  A timely conversation that also touched on Covid-19 and the effects on agriculture, and where there may be some gaps in us relying heavily on a just-in-time delivery mechanism.   They also touched on how climate change is not a trend, and in fact, it just may be integrating into the business side of our farming operations in ways we had never considered before.  And maybe, in ways that provide opportunities rather than just another added expense to the bottom line.   http://www.farminstitute.org.au/ @richardaheath @AustFarmInstitu

In this episode, we are back together and BOTH in New Zealand! We had the good fortune of sitting down with Corrigan Sowman, a dairy farmer who along with his family, run Uruwhenua Farms Ltd in beautiful Golden Bay. Mark met Corrigan last spring at their first Nuffield conference, and have since remained good friends and colleagues. Dairy farming in New Zealand has changed dramatically over the last decade, bringing both opportunities and challenges to those involved.  Social license being a front runner of these challenges which prompted Corrigan's topic. One that began as trying to solve a technical problem, digging deeper to realize it's more of social one.   One that perhaps we as farmers have been predisposed to over generations of high stakes, small margins, uncertainty and fast change, all leading to what he now sees as social judgment. His project and this interview blew us away. Are we as farmers equipped to deal with social judgment?

This week, we are back and excited for this interview!  Mark got to visit our good friend Richard Leask from McLaren Vale who runs Leask Agri and along with his brother Malcolm, Hither & Yon. Richard discusses their unique vineyard incorporating innovative soil management practices for a more holistic grape growing system.  Mimicking this same circular mentality, they also have a storefront "cellar door" that very much is an extension of the farm, families, and grapes behind their label Hither & Yon. As always, we look for a take-home message...   Richard reminded us of the importance of being self-aware enough to call yourself out when there is potential of a better way of doing things and committing to making the changes required even when change seems unpopular.

In this episode we head down under... that's right.   Mark is now in Australia on the first leg of his Nuffield travels and has discovered that although on the other side of the globe, farmers everywhere share many of the same issues.   Digging a bit deeper, he finds that collaboration may not just be key to some strategic opportunities, it may be the one way to survive in this business of farming.

OK Boomer... The ultimate collaboration in a farm business starts at home.  Whether that be a spouse, partner, kids, parents or grandparents... without that core unit, your business may be vulnerable. Today, we sat down with our kids.  Living with a couple GenZ's can be pretty rewarding, humbling and eye-opening... IF WE LISTEN TO THEM! We talked to both kids separately, then together to get a feel for how they look at farming and the business of agriculture. They share their thoughts on trends we fight but may be inevitable.  They tell us how their purchase decisions are influenced and where they get their information. And just like every interview thus far, we have lightbulb moments... The biggest one... our kids don't fear change.  They welcome it.

In this episode, we head to Guelph Ontario to sit with a friend and mentor Larry Martin. We met Larry a few years ago as he coached us through an intense agriculture business management course. Always the tough critic, especially when he sees untapped potential, he guided us through some significant breakthroughs in our business and helped give us some much-needed direction. Today, we go a bit deeper into Larry’s past involvement with farmers, policymakers, and businesses and helps us to understand why some farmers push to further develop, and others seem content with the status quo. We discovered that curiosity is the driver of personal development and improvement. And now we are left wondering, how do we influence others to become more curious?

Everyone starts at zero. Can digital marketing be a gamechanger for your business? In this episode, Mark sits down with Sandi to discuss her journey with social media and how they accidentally created “digital tourism” as a third enterprise of their farm business.  

Chasing Unicorns In this episode, we head to Moosomin, Saskatchewan to have a conversation with one of Mark’s favourite farmers.  Kristjan Hebert wears a lot of hats… husband, dad, farmer, business coach, speaker, entrepreneur, volunteer.  But where we connect with him most is his ability to look at farming unconventionally.  He leaves us with some amazing one-liners that to some seem unpopular in thought, but to us, they are little nuggets of gold.