Ben Simpson from OGA Creative Agency shares his passion for the varied landscape of Australian agriculture - focusing on storytelling, ethics, and innovation. He discusses with Ferg how effective communication, AI and visual storytelling are shaping the future of livestock marketing. Ben highlights the importance of ethical practices, brand values and initiatives like Meat and Livestock Australia's ‘Australian Good Meat’ program in enhancing Australia’s global standing. Agriculture story...
Show Notes
Ben Simpson from OGA Creative Agency shares his passion for the varied landscape of Australian agriculture - focusing on storytelling, ethics, and innovation. He discusses with Ferg how effective communication, AI and visual storytelling are shaping the future of livestock marketing. Ben highlights the importance of ethical practices, brand values and initiatives like Meat and Livestock Australia's ‘Australian Good Meat’ program in enhancing Australia’s global standing.
Agriculture storytelling
AI impact
Brand values
Ethical practices
Global reputation
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Show Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:02.785 Welcome to the Head Shepherd podcast.
00:00:02.785 --> 00:00:10.044 I'm your host, mark Ferguson, ceo here at NextGen Agri International, where we help livestock managers get the best out of their stock Before we get started.
00:00:10.044 --> 00:00:14.743 Thank you to our two fantastic sponsors for continuing to sponsor this podcast.
00:00:14.743 --> 00:00:23.003 Msd Animal Health is perhaps better known as Cooper's Animal Health in Australia and for their Allflex range across the world with a comprehensive suite of animal health and management products.
00:00:23.003 --> 00:00:26.312 Heinegger is a one-stop shop for wool harvesting and animal fibre removal.
00:00:26.312 --> 00:00:33.168 The Heinegger team have a deep understanding of livestock agriculture, backed by Swiss engineering and a family business dedicated to manufacturing the best.
00:00:33.168 --> 00:00:36.966 We are grateful to our sponsors for their support, helping us bring Head Shepherd to you each week.
00:00:36.966 --> 00:00:38.847 Now it's time to get on with this week's episode.
00:00:38.847 --> 00:00:48.048 All of you listeners out there and all the great comments we get on various forms put those out there enjoying your head shepherd.
00:00:48.179 --> 00:00:50.268 This week we've got a marketer on.
00:00:50.268 --> 00:00:58.392 In fact, we've got Ben Simpson from Ogre, which our company do a lot of seed stock marketing as well as many other things.
00:00:58.392 --> 00:01:11.388 But Ben's got a massive passion for photography, for telling the story of people and brands and has been behind a few big names in the cattle and sheep industry and is known to many out there.
00:01:11.388 --> 00:01:15.727 He's got a real passion for agriculture and livestock, as you'll pick up in the interview.
00:01:15.727 --> 00:01:17.748 So, yeah, great to have Ben along this week.
00:01:17.748 --> 00:01:19.566 We had a lot of fun recording this interview.
00:01:19.566 --> 00:01:22.587 We did it actually in person on his place.
00:01:22.587 --> 00:01:27.072 He cooked up a stunning lunch before we got into it.
00:01:27.072 --> 00:01:30.569 We've got a great video recording of this one as well.
00:01:30.569 --> 00:01:33.930 So if you want to watch along, by all means do that.
00:01:33.930 --> 00:01:42.665 Yeah, I'm sure you'll get a few insights out of Ben, particularly if you're interested in the marketing side of ag and the storytelling side of ag.
00:01:44.843 --> 00:01:48.566 This week on the the hub, we've released an article around passing rates in auctions.
00:01:48.566 --> 00:01:58.725 We've seen a pretty tough selling season in australia or tougher than what has been for a few years maybe and I think sometimes people get a little bit down on themselves when they pass a few rams in.
00:01:58.725 --> 00:02:01.981 I'm going to argue in this article that that should be what we should be aiming for.
00:02:01.981 --> 00:02:06.230 We should always have a few more in and are likely to sell just to give people the full choice.
00:02:06.230 --> 00:02:13.300 People like being able to choose their type within, within your type at your auction, and I think if we have a hundred percent clearance.
00:02:13.300 --> 00:02:21.348 Often that means that somebody's grabbed a ram that that maybe they wouldn't have grabbed otherwise and and if there was a, yeah, we might leave out auctions.
00:02:21.348 --> 00:02:33.752 I'd leave out rams that we don't necessarily like but someone else does, and we've certainly seen that where we put a spare ram in an auction and it ends up topping the auction and going someone very happy with it where it wasn't actually destined for the sale.
00:02:33.752 --> 00:02:40.120 So I think, yeah, just I guess for those people out there who passed a few rams in this year, I think feel relieved.
00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.866 That's probably doing the right thing by your buyers by having a few extra in there.
00:02:43.866 --> 00:02:54.862 Others really do judge themselves on their pass-in rates, up to you.
00:02:54.862 --> 00:02:57.620 But I guess my thoughts are that having 10%, 15%, 20% of rams pass-in is not a massive fail.
00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:02.211 It just means you've given your buyers some choice this year.
00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.408 Obviously, we all want to sell.
00:03:05.408 --> 00:03:09.686 Everyone selling rams or bulls wants to sell all of them, and that's natural.
00:03:09.686 --> 00:03:18.770 But I think we're lucky to always have a few pass in and I just wrote this article to kind of justify why I think that's not a bad thing.
00:03:18.770 --> 00:03:21.448 But anyway, jump in there, have a read in the hub.
00:03:21.448 --> 00:03:22.350 The hub is going great.
00:03:22.350 --> 00:03:28.167 We're getting that article out there every week and if you've signed up, you'll get our newsletter every fortnight as well.
00:03:28.167 --> 00:03:30.427 So definitely jump on and sign up for those things.
00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:33.324 If you like listening to Head Shepherd, you'll get some.
00:03:33.324 --> 00:03:37.366 You'll get some insights from what we're, how we're thinking as we as we go as well.
00:03:37.366 --> 00:03:39.961 So, yeah, jump on there and sign up.
00:03:39.961 --> 00:03:43.572 We'd love to have you in that area.
00:03:43.572 --> 00:03:51.031 Righto, we'll get on with this week's show with Ben Simpson, live at his farm in Australia, recorded a couple of weeks ago.
00:03:51.031 --> 00:03:54.948 Righto, welcome back to Head Shepherd.
00:03:54.948 --> 00:03:56.646 We're recording this one in person.
00:03:56.646 --> 00:04:04.788 Often we do this via web, and so I'm sitting in some virtual camera somewhere and I'm not chatting properly, but today I have the great pleasure of being with Ben Simpson.
00:04:04.788 --> 00:04:05.691 Welcome to Head Shepherd, ben.
00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:11.230 Thank you and congratulations on your 200th podcast, which was the other day, was it?
00:04:11.711 --> 00:04:12.332 Yeah, yeah.
00:04:12.332 --> 00:04:16.204 So I'm not sure when this one will go out, but it'll be a few weeks ago when this one hits the airwaves.
00:04:16.204 --> 00:04:21.461 So, yeah, awesome, awesome result, big lot of work, but anyway it's been good this far.
00:04:21.521 --> 00:04:23.524 Oh, it's fantastic to be here, mate, beautiful day.
00:04:24.064 --> 00:04:24.543 Cracking day.
00:04:24.543 --> 00:04:28.648 We've got a few cows in the background which are adding to the joy.
00:04:28.908 --> 00:04:36.754 And one miniature sausage dog on heat and one of my son's young working pups underneath my feet.
00:04:36.754 --> 00:04:39.976 So there's going to be plenty of interruptions, should be, yeah.
00:04:40.216 --> 00:04:42.423 We'll have plenty, but anyway we'll get there.
00:04:42.423 --> 00:04:44.271 We normally start with a bit of background and we'll have plenty, but anyway we'll get there.
00:04:44.271 --> 00:04:45.740 Ben, we normally start with a bit of background and we'll start with.
00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:53.468 I guess you've got a passion for capturing people's story and using your visuals and sounds to tell their story in a really authentic way.
00:04:53.468 --> 00:04:57.211 Has that always been the case or something that has evolved over time?
00:04:57.699 --> 00:05:04.987 Yeah, so I moved down here in 1996 and I was exporting live animals and semen and embryos around the world.
00:05:04.987 --> 00:05:13.692 So that was how I sort of moved into this beautiful district and we're running a pretty large embryo transplant program.
00:05:13.692 --> 00:05:20.617 I think we had 700 recipients here just for the C-grade eggs and we were exporting the A and the B grades.
00:05:20.617 --> 00:05:25.862 But I was doing the breeding of that operation and setting up export markets around the world.
00:05:25.862 --> 00:05:27.108 But I was also doing the marketing.
00:05:27.108 --> 00:05:33.353 So I was doing my own communication and my own visuals to sort of accompany what we did.
00:05:33.353 --> 00:05:35.107 So it evolved.
00:05:35.107 --> 00:05:53.670 My ex-wife and I sort of started OGA as a continuation of that and very quickly it turned into a creative know, a creative agency and now we're lucky enough to go from Western Australia all the way to New Zealand working with some pretty amazing people.
00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:55.386 Yeah that's cool to see.
00:05:55.386 --> 00:05:56.511 That's the beauty about this podcast.
00:05:56.511 --> 00:06:11.668 I learn things about people that I wouldn't questions, I wouldn't normally ask, maybe if we just go back even further and that's sort of, I guess, when you first picked up a camera and sort of why agriculture was in your blood, where all that sort of I guess the back story before the before, I guess.
00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:13.242 Yeah, before the before.
00:06:13.242 --> 00:06:16.050 Well, I was lucky enough to.
00:06:16.050 --> 00:06:23.541 I was brought up in a situation where we had a farm, a beautiful farm in Mudgee, but not a large farm.
00:06:23.541 --> 00:06:30.187 We had a farm, a beautiful farm in Mudgee, but not a large farm, but I loved agriculture and so that was always my vocation.
00:06:30.187 --> 00:06:31.708 I suppose I've got.
00:06:31.708 --> 00:06:34.771 I come from a pretty academic family.
00:06:34.771 --> 00:06:53.528 My father's a philosopher, my mum's a psychologist, my sister is head of, you know, a big superannuation fund and stuff like that, and I was expelled from university so I didn't quite sort of fit my temperament.
00:06:53.528 --> 00:07:01.831 But the love of agriculture and the, I suppose, inherent desire to communicate has been in my blood.
00:07:01.831 --> 00:07:09.449 So that has living in a house with a philosopher as a father and a psychologist as a mother and stuff like that.
00:07:09.449 --> 00:07:14.913 Communication's always been, you know, really strong and really important.
00:07:14.913 --> 00:07:21.670 And then I suppose, finding what I did, my love of agriculture, my love of genetics, it just evolved to that.
00:07:21.670 --> 00:07:26.288 I felt I can contribute that way by helping other people communicate.
00:07:26.309 --> 00:07:27.572 Excellent.
00:07:27.791 --> 00:07:28.052 Yeah.
00:07:28.132 --> 00:07:28.713 Really interesting.
00:07:28.713 --> 00:07:32.571 It would have been a very interesting household to grow up in it was.
00:07:33.141 --> 00:07:35.326 I don't think they were that happy when I was expelled from uni.
00:07:35.326 --> 00:07:36.529 Possibly not yeah.
00:07:37.480 --> 00:08:03.028 I guess, if we move to the present day and so obviously you're marketing for some really big names in studsock and big corporations beyond studsock I guess if we go into sort of first principles, what's central to helping someone that you work with to tell their story I mean, that's your superpower is getting that story out to people what's central to them, helping them do that- yeah, strategy, mark.
00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:08.781 You know strategic mapping is the central thing we do for our company.
00:08:08.781 --> 00:08:15.677 So, as I said, ogre started with with me, and then and then with jules, and now it's got 12.
00:08:15.677 --> 00:08:17.966 We've got 12 really, really good people in the company.
00:08:17.966 --> 00:08:31.629 And strategy I mean, yes, I am a photographer and a filmmaker as well and I still still love doing that, but strategy is, I'm the lead strategist for the company and our strategic mapping that we do with.
00:08:31.629 --> 00:08:37.673 We work with transport companies, agricultural companies, manufacturing companies.
00:08:37.673 --> 00:08:46.650 Developing a strategy is the most important thing because it dictates where you want to go, but how you want people to feel about you in the future.
00:08:46.650 --> 00:09:02.496 So we then, once we develop a really healthy strategy with companies, we then work to build the content, create the content that's going to help them get where they want to be really and, most importantly, help how they want to be perceived in the future.
00:09:03.422 --> 00:09:08.827 Yeah, that saying that people forget what you tell them, but they remember how you make them feel, and that's obviously correct.
00:09:09.188 --> 00:09:10.865 Well, it's true, I mean, you know what I mean.
00:09:10.865 --> 00:09:18.052 Ultimately, everyone's purchasing decision is made emotionally ultimately.
00:09:18.052 --> 00:09:35.269 So it might be, you know, 20 decisions that are mathematical to get to your final two, but when it's at the final two, ultimately you go with the one that you feel more emotionally safe with, and that's what we try and do with companies, and it's essentially that forms it.
00:09:35.269 --> 00:09:39.144 The other thing is, you know, I mean, we do work with a lot of the same people.
00:09:39.144 --> 00:09:41.806 Mark, we're not prescriptive.
00:09:41.806 --> 00:09:47.394 Our company isn't prescriptive, so we actually take the time to listen to our clients.
00:09:47.413 --> 00:09:48.157 It's a crazy idea.
00:09:48.157 --> 00:09:50.447 Yeah, it's a crazy idea, isn't it?
00:09:50.447 --> 00:09:58.860 You listen to them and, as you do genetically, you listen to your clients and understand what their challenges are and what their environments are.
00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:05.548 You don't have one prescriptive method that works in Warrnambool, as opposed to Burke or Christchurch.
00:10:05.548 --> 00:10:07.092 You know what I mean.
00:10:07.092 --> 00:10:13.926 You're developing methods and techniques that help people in their environment, and we're the same.
00:10:13.926 --> 00:10:19.727 So we listen to our clients and then we help them communicate what they feel they want to communicate.
00:10:19.727 --> 00:10:31.708 And I think that essentially makes us different, because every day we're communicating on behalf of our clients, and that makes and I think that essentially makes us different because every day we do, we're communicating on behalf of our clients and that makes such a massive difference in ag, especially in ag.
00:10:31.708 --> 00:10:32.451 Yeah.
00:10:33.081 --> 00:10:37.729 Yeah, I guess I mean maybe in everything, but in ag, if you're not authentic, you get found out really, really quickly.
00:10:37.729 --> 00:10:42.211 If you're not being true to yourself, then you're out.
00:10:43.022 --> 00:10:43.624 Getting.
00:10:43.624 --> 00:10:45.048 You're right.
00:10:45.048 --> 00:11:01.493 I mean, as you know, we work with an amazing array of clients, but I feel it's better to get a genuine response from someone than one that has been written in a boardroom on an Excel spreadsheet.
00:11:01.493 --> 00:11:14.452 I feel like if someone naturally gives three-quarters of the answer that you're trying to get from them, that's a lot better than making them become false and like straight up at the camera and things like that.
00:11:14.452 --> 00:11:31.572 And I know like, ultimately, everything we do is on behalf of our clients' clients, right and so for the general public or a seed stock population to believe a message, it's got to be genuine, um, and you've got to believe the product that you're selling like that's the key.
00:11:31.591 --> 00:11:46.350 Like you can't, people, I think, get a bit carried away with when they see sales programs and agriculture, thinking that it's all, it's all push, but it's genuinely knowing that people will do well when they have these genetics or that transport company or whoever you're working with.
00:11:46.350 --> 00:11:47.846 You know that they've got good product to sell.
00:11:47.846 --> 00:11:51.294 That makes the sale or the marketing much easier.
00:11:51.836 --> 00:11:52.480 Oh, 100%.
00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:56.426 I mean, the two major components of our strategy is how do you want to be perceived?
00:11:56.426 --> 00:12:03.703 And we will develop all the communications to enable you to be perceived in the way that you want to be perceived.
00:12:03.703 --> 00:12:07.755 But just like you, mark, it's got to be backed by fact.
00:12:07.755 --> 00:12:13.038 So if you want to be the biggest, we can build all the marketing material to make you look like that, but guess what?
00:12:13.038 --> 00:12:17.936 We have to actually have the facts to make you the biggest, the fastest, the most efficient.
00:12:17.936 --> 00:12:22.182 So we sort of balance everything we do with mathematical fact.
00:12:22.182 --> 00:12:28.879 It's a really nice blending of like slow motion, emotional music and all that sort of stuff with cold, hard facts.
00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:37.519 And that's what I love about like combining, even working with you, with some of our clients, we can build all that emotion into a brand.
00:12:38.140 --> 00:12:50.669 and guess what we've even better, we've got mathematical facts to show that it works exactly if we shift gears a little bit and give you a bit of a free mic to chat about Australians and Australian ag and generally, and a bit of a free mic to chat about Australians and Australian ag and generally.
00:12:50.669 --> 00:12:58.496 And I guess one of my hates I guess in ag is and I think it's there in Australia and New Zealand is the tall poppy sort of syndrome.
00:12:58.496 --> 00:13:05.575 That's kind of its destiny to be average, because if you stand out from the crowd you get beaten back, and if you're sort of a bit crap you get beaten up as well.
00:13:05.575 --> 00:13:07.518 So it's kind of everyone's happy in the middle.
00:13:07.518 --> 00:13:14.149 I guess people, yeah, and people are just generally uncomfortable putting themselves above the crowd.
00:13:14.149 --> 00:13:17.780 How do we change that and why does it need to change?
00:13:20.990 --> 00:13:22.196 You can answer it in a long way.
00:13:22.196 --> 00:13:53.557 I suppose We've been beaten down to some degree by industrial ag and it's like so many commercial producers have been just price takers and it's been a matter of you know, shut up, do your job, we'll pay you what we want, and you become a price taker and don't complain, don't talk hoppy and things like that.
00:13:53.557 --> 00:14:00.577 And I understand that the large industrial model has to work when we've got to feed a huge amount of the population.
00:14:00.577 --> 00:14:02.802 But I call that like that's the comet.
00:14:02.802 --> 00:14:09.559 And there are big organisations in Australia that you know, we know who they are and they're the comets and there's nothing wrong with those.
00:14:09.629 --> 00:14:22.200 But the beauty about having a comet is you've got a comment tail and there's so much opportunity created post the big, you know, perhaps monopolizing sort of supermarket change and stuff like that.
00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:27.326 They're doing a great job feeding people, but post that and you can choose to be in that model.
00:14:27.326 --> 00:14:38.196 But there's so many interesting things happening in the comet tail behind and being able to, you know, breed a product that's genetically different or prove it.
00:14:38.196 --> 00:14:39.581 Listening to the marketplace.
00:14:39.581 --> 00:14:48.159 Ultimately, I think if you are in a situation where you've been able to achieve that, then you're not tall popping anymore.
00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:56.479 You're actually just saying, hey, I've achieved this and other people can partake in my success because of it, and it doesn't have to be prescriptive.
00:14:57.830 --> 00:15:05.898 I guess, if we get your read on Australian agriculture at present, I won't prelude that with my thoughts, I'll just let you jam on that.
00:15:05.898 --> 00:15:10.501 But yeah, I guess opportunities are coming our way, headwinds are coming our way.
00:15:10.501 --> 00:15:15.331 What do you see in terms of livestock?
00:15:15.351 --> 00:15:16.854 and ag or just ag generally.
00:15:16.854 --> 00:15:20.798 Yeah, I think we're in a great spot.
00:15:20.798 --> 00:15:26.304 You know I always like taking a positive view.
00:15:26.304 --> 00:15:27.807 I mean, of course, we've always got challenges.
00:15:27.807 --> 00:15:35.323 We've always had challenges, as you know but I think there's a real and it's thanks to people like yourself.
00:15:35.344 --> 00:15:58.640 I think this open source communication, the sharing of ideas, the sharing of science and technology and advancements and things like that has enabled I wanted to say the word selective, but it's not the right it's enabled progressive commercial and seed stock producers to adapt and share and grow stronger as a result.
00:15:58.640 --> 00:16:07.530 And I think Australian ag is really well underwritten by having being able to how do I say it?
00:16:07.530 --> 00:16:08.152 The whole supply chain.
00:16:08.152 --> 00:16:11.796 You know the security inside the supply chain and being able to how do I say it?
00:16:11.796 --> 00:16:12.316 The whole supply chain.
00:16:12.316 --> 00:16:15.639 You know the security inside the supply chain and being able to.
00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:19.823 You know, these days we do operate in a global market.
00:16:19.864 --> 00:16:56.899 So we've got now not only seed stock producers telling the stories, but we've got commercial producers as well, because some of our really large-scale commercial guys understand that their brand yes, they're wholesalers, but their brand, if they want their brand to be taken up or bought their products, whether it be grain, wool or meat or anything want to be taken up by a larger sort of globalised company, then their brand also has to have the similar values and brand propositions put into it in regards to looking after the environment, being traceable, being really authentic in what they do.
00:16:56.899 --> 00:17:03.456 So that's coming down to a commercial level, and the producers that are doing that are starting to be a preferred customer.
00:17:03.456 --> 00:17:17.755 There's no such word as premium, but you know a preferred customer because overseas companies can say, hey, we're using you know, wool from this producer here and they also care about the environment, care about animal welfare, care about their staff.
00:17:17.755 --> 00:17:20.204 So we're starting to tell those stories as well.
00:17:20.204 --> 00:17:23.176 That's going through to a global pull.
00:17:24.950 --> 00:17:32.356 Well, that can sound too far away, I suppose, if you're out in the back of the bird farm and you see a sheep, or whatever you think that's miles away.
00:17:32.356 --> 00:17:39.277 But even down to having that good story and that good communication strategy, they're the people that get priority staff.
00:17:39.277 --> 00:17:41.818 They're the people that people seek out to get a job with.
00:17:41.818 --> 00:17:49.378 So making sure you've got a story to tell and you're telling it well has local benefits as well as those sort of global benefits.
00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:50.741 It is.
00:17:50.741 --> 00:17:53.098 I think we've only just started.
00:17:53.098 --> 00:18:04.800 As you know, we're lucky enough to work with Meat and Livestock Australia and I think they do an incredible job and it's an enormously hard job because they have so much of that industry that they have to represent.
00:18:04.800 --> 00:18:15.733 But I've been lucky enough to be involved with the Australian Good Meat, which is a proactive arm of Meat and Livestock Australia.
00:18:15.733 --> 00:18:28.383 That is, we're pushing positive stories into the meat eating and non-meat eating areas of urban Australia and being proactive about agriculture.
00:18:28.383 --> 00:18:32.220 I think needs to be for the next five to ten years.
00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:36.240 I think that is our most crucial thing that we can do for agriculture.
00:18:36.509 --> 00:18:38.298 I think Australia is a beautiful country.
00:18:38.298 --> 00:18:44.182 We produce an incredible product, whether it be wool or meat or grains.
00:18:44.182 --> 00:19:23.213 We've got this amazing island that's locked up from the rest of the world and we're one of the largest exporters of food in the world, so we've got a great story where we've we've only just started to understand the power of being proactive, of of communicating what we do and making other people feel good about our products yeah, I guess that sort of leads on to my next question, which is on your thoughts on how well we currently communicate with those end consumers and and your thoughts on whether we're doing enough well, I mean, I think I think we've started and I think that's really, really important.
00:19:24.115 --> 00:19:31.404 Um in, I think there's on a with some parts of the industry.
00:19:31.404 --> 00:19:35.789 You know, dare I say it, wool and the non-musing thing.
00:19:35.789 --> 00:19:44.164 I think there's been various representative bodies that have had their head in the sand in regards to non-musing.
00:19:44.164 --> 00:19:56.578 I remember a beautiful Italian wool company pulled me into their boardroom maybe five or six years ago and said Ben, like help us, we can't buy Australian wool.
00:19:56.578 --> 00:19:59.435 And that's on a commercial level.
00:19:59.435 --> 00:20:02.999 Six years ago, but yet we're still not really doing anything about it.
00:20:04.111 --> 00:20:05.758 And you know the whole non-mulesing thing.
00:20:05.758 --> 00:20:16.357 The world doesn't want mulesed wool and we know from other people that we work with in the industry Howard Perry, husband and Pollinate.
00:20:18.414 --> 00:20:31.478 I don't want to quote them because I'm not an expert in it, but we're at a critical point with the mules in debate that if we don't proactively fix it and also genetically fix it, I think there's a real potential.
00:20:31.478 --> 00:20:35.000 It not only could it's already affecting wool, we know that.
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:37.337 But imagine if it got into lamb.
00:20:37.337 --> 00:20:40.136 Imagine if Australia eats lamb.
00:20:40.136 --> 00:20:41.119 We're so proud of our lamb.
00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:49.017 Sam Chickabooch, you know all of that, we eat lamb, but imagine if the mulesing thing gets into lamb which has already been discussed.
00:20:49.990 --> 00:21:00.619 I think there's lots of examples like that, where we just have to front foot reality and put our maybe personal preferences and biases aside and know what we're having.
00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:06.219 I mean, I think I guess the way I always think about it is, if you think it's not going to be there in 20 years, then you might as well.
00:21:06.219 --> 00:21:18.015 I love the quote from Bill Malcolm, which is act now as if the future you believe is already in place or something along those lines, like if we know the future, because we can kind of predict what consumer sentiment is going to be or is already.
00:21:18.015 --> 00:21:29.798 We've kind of just got to get on with it, and that's not just a mills in debate, that's an everything around our credentials as landholders as animal welfarists.
00:21:30.151 --> 00:21:37.836 Every farmer loves their animals more than anyone, but we just need to make sure we're doing it in a way that we can really tell it.
00:21:38.176 --> 00:21:41.358 A hundred percent and it's using, I think, some of the heart.
00:21:41.358 --> 00:22:05.740 The organisations that are perhaps against farming use a modern language which is very inflammatory and damaging Words like deforestation, where I plant trees here every year on my farm and I know farmers that plant trees all the time but yet we get slammed with the deforestation thing.
00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:14.636 Now, clearing land with regrowth it has a bit of regrowth so you can plant more crop and grow more food and sequest more carbon.
00:22:14.636 --> 00:22:17.298 That's a good thing, but we get tainted with the deforestation.
00:22:17.298 --> 00:22:25.821 So I think the challenge is for us to communicate with the same language, like fight the battle with the same language.
00:22:25.821 --> 00:22:30.244 If they're in a fight metaphorically, if they're fighting bare-fisted, then we should fight bare-fisted too.
00:22:30.244 --> 00:22:35.589 You know, in a fight metaphorically, if they're fighting bare-fisted, then we should fight bare-fisted too.
00:22:35.589 --> 00:22:43.016 But all in all, I think again, we can overcome so many of the potential negatives in agriculture by constantly promoting positive stories.
00:22:43.016 --> 00:22:48.148 I think every Australian, I think every New Zealander should bloody love farmers, yeah.
00:22:48.670 --> 00:22:57.667 And I think I live in a city and I think, 300,000 people, not a big city, but but I think I've never met an individual that doesn't love farmers, so like it kind of.
00:22:57.667 --> 00:23:11.103 I wonder how much of the our concern is us is listening to the story of a minority too much and and sort of, and using that as an example to they all hate us so we can't do anything or whatever.
00:23:11.103 --> 00:23:13.776 Like the opportunity is just to tell our story a little bit better.
00:23:13.776 --> 00:23:17.633 I think means that we won't get into the fight level, we'll just get into the informed level.
00:23:17.633 --> 00:23:20.779 And, um, I know that you can't consume it.
00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:22.892 You can't if you have a strategy.
00:23:22.892 --> 00:23:25.262 That means you're trying to inform the masses.
00:23:25.262 --> 00:23:31.116 That's a really tough way to go about it, but you can tell your story in an authentic way and I think we can place ourselves better than we currently do.
00:23:31.136 --> 00:23:43.877 Anyway, Well, I think some of the wonderful sort of even for me to talk about Australian Good Meat and, as I said, it's been a wonderful collaboration Going out and telling positive stories has been great.
00:23:43.877 --> 00:23:52.318 But now we're down at a deeper level where we're actually approaching random people in the street saying, would you like to ask a farmer a question?
00:23:52.318 --> 00:23:55.979 And we're then getting the farmers to answer.
00:23:55.979 --> 00:24:10.400 So we're actually crossing this divide where people in urban areas actually feel like they're a part of the conversation and they do get the chance to ask a farmer a genuine question and a genuine farmer and I've got to say we haven't had a farmer that hasn't been so happy to answer that.
00:24:11.570 --> 00:24:28.154 And crossing that, yeah, that that divide between because ultimately, like I said, like you and I are involved with, with, with whether it be strategy or genetics and I love the fact that we love both is we get so involved at that level um of what we do.
00:24:28.154 --> 00:25:04.064 But on a really basic level, I think farmers want to be able to show and communicate that they love their land, they love their animals, they love their pastures, they love looking after their land, and I think people in urban populations, the more connected they can feel to that and just know, I mean, it's not their primary concern, but know that they can go to a supermarket or a farmer's market and buy some meat or buy some produce, and knowing that it has been ethically raised or sustainably made.
00:25:04.064 --> 00:25:11.161 And you know that word's overused, as you know, but that feel-good sentiment I think it's really important.
00:25:11.871 --> 00:25:13.075 Yeah, I think that.
00:25:13.075 --> 00:25:22.759 Yeah, I guess, bring back the trust whether we, yeah how far it's been eroded I don't think it's that far but yeah, that just trust that they are doing a good job for whatever it is, I think is what we need.
00:25:23.490 --> 00:25:25.136 Yeah, and it's hard.
00:25:25.136 --> 00:25:28.695 I mean the world doesn't stop eating, right, so we get.
00:25:28.695 --> 00:25:40.097 I mean, you know there could be a bloody catastrophe and you know 99% of the population is still going to go to a supermarket and do the same thing they did the day before that.
00:25:40.097 --> 00:25:41.742 You know, whatever tragedy.
00:25:41.742 --> 00:26:00.196 But I think at that top end, if we can all understand the process of agriculture and like the ecosystems that we need to survive in it, I think the more we can everyone can understand that it's part of an ecosystem I think we're going to be all better off.
00:26:00.196 --> 00:26:02.855 And you know the cliche, you know, I didn't know that.
00:26:02.855 --> 00:26:04.280 You know where do you get your milk?
00:26:04.280 --> 00:26:14.535 Well, you get it from a supermarket, and I know that's a cliche, but the more we can break down that cliche, the the more we can break down that cliche, the better.
00:26:14.936 --> 00:26:20.941 Yeah, yeah, sure, and we could jam on this for a long time, so I'll move on.
00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:28.478 But yeah, I think it's a big opportunity there and it's great the work that you and MLA are doing.
00:26:28.478 --> 00:26:36.635 Just a bit of an interesting question for me really not necessarily for listeners, but I've been doing a bit of artificial intelligence learning.
00:26:36.635 --> 00:26:46.896 You run a company with 12 creatives and I think when I originally thought creativity was going to be a thing that AI wasn't going to be good at, but it turns out it's not bad at it.
00:26:46.896 --> 00:26:53.180 What do you think the future holds for creative companies?
00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:55.724 Is AI going to?
00:26:55.724 --> 00:27:00.317 I guess, the ability for AI to erode trust because it can mimic stuff?
00:27:00.317 --> 00:27:02.257 It's an interesting space.
00:27:04.031 --> 00:27:06.078 Yeah, I mean, the dangers are obviously there.
00:27:06.078 --> 00:27:10.401 Our company certainly embraces AI a lot.
