American agriculture stands at a crossroad, where policy, politics, and profits intersect. As the Trump presidency emerges, the growing influence of corporate interests is shaping the future of agriculture. The Numbers Tell a Story The scale of agricultural lobbying has reached unprecedented levels. In 2023, the agribusiness invested a record $178 million in lobbying efforts, […]
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Sustainability Fatigue
Growers shouldn’t have to foot the bill. Conferences are a great place to check the pulse of an industry. You learn a lot from the plenaries and speakers, but you learn even more from attendees. The informal conversations where people share their real feelings. Over the past few months there has been a distinct uptick […]
The Rise of Biomanufacturing
We have been using plants and animals to produce the building blocks of civilization from the very beginning. Natural medicines, herbs and animal products have been used for everything from easing ailments to building cities. The ability for humans to harness and guide the world around us is intrinsic to our success as a species. […]
Agri-Fundamentals
Farms are Swiss watches. They look simple, until you open the case. If you want to tinker, you better be competent or courageous. Its a numbers game. Low margin, high risk. The recent wave of vertical farming bankruptcies show what can happen if you miscalculate. Massive CapEx, over reliance on technology, high overhead and operating […]
The Protected Cropping Podcast
Excitingly, we are 3 episodes into the Protected Cropping Podcast and it is really interesting. Each week on a Friday, I sit down with an industry expert to talk about key issues, ideas and the future of protected cropping. These episodes are targeted primarily at those interested in the protected cropping industry, and therefor has […]
How to Adapt to Work with AI
Understanding the modern workplace and future proof your job The world is changing fast. Every 2 weeks there is a new mind bending AI application that is set to revolutionise the world as we know it. It can be scary, it can be intimidating, it can be disruptive, and it will change the way we […]
Food or War?
Food security has become a bit of an issue. Between raising global tension, open conflict in Europe, spiking commodity prices, supply chain disruptions, and the lingering affects of COVID. Not to mention skyrocketing global inflation, cost of living crisis, looming recession and last but not least a crushing climate catastrophe, the pressure on our institutions […]
Food Price Spikes may cause the deaths of millions
It’s a strange world we live in when the European winter enters into the minds of business planners on farm in Australia. Thankfully for Australian growers, the record warm winter experienced in Europe over the past few months has caused a significant relief in the price of fertilizer. As the war in Ukraine rages on […]
Public Speaking 101
My philosophy on how to be a better speaker I do a lot of public speaking. I lead a non-for-profit and part of my role is to make the organisation more visible. After years of trial and error, I have honed my process of speaking and presenting, but unfortunately, it takes a lot of work. […]
Building Relationships
Building relationships is a super power. No matter what is happening in the world of technology and business, it all revolves around managing people. This will continue to be true into the future until we are surpassed by computer intelligence. Even then it will probably be important. Building emotional intelligence should be the focus of […]