Wellington
New Zealand, and its agriculture (systems) owes a heck of a lot to the billions of dollars pouredinto its research and development over the past 120 years.
Our wealth has, literally, been built on sunshine, soil and fresh air – and more importantlyapplied brains figuring out how to convert pastoral production into protein. (Actually, and to befair, it is sunshine, soil and water – but that doesn’t work quite as well from a poetic orstory POV).
For nearly a century, the ever refined pastoral method (essentially graze pasture, rest it,graze, rest…) has evolved to a quite elegant recipe.
Along the way, our scientists and science have developed deep understanding of soils, water, itsmicroflora (with much to learn), the plant/microflora/soil interface, plants (especially grass andclover), the plant/animal connection, rumens and their biology, and optimising plant and animalgrowth. From a business perspective we’ve developed a way to manage quite complex systems.
(From a romance perspective, it’s working in harmony with the seasons).
Our pastoral method has deep intellectual property.
It is one reason farmers and scientists from round the world have beaten a path to our door,studying, learning, adapting.
It is one reason that back in the day, people like Mac McMeeken, Leonard Cockayne and Bruce Levywere household names from the 20’s to the 60s.
There was a public realisation that the learning we’d achieved provided a platform for anexcellent standard of living.
It’s great that our economy has got away from such a reliance on agriculture, diversifyingbiologically and smartly. Equally, the notion that we’re trying to feed the world iswell-gone.
The body of knowledge remains however.
And, even more in an environment of ‘man-made’, the proven way that products can besustainably made from our agricultural method has a value way and above of how much we’ve dared tobelieve.
By naming our story, we would provide a way to associate imagery and emotion of our pastoralmethod with the science. pasture Harmonies (as an example of a name) would be a way for the R&Dto again shine, lead improvement with the consumer onboard.
It is also a way for agricultural R&D to have greater investment, enable the wider NZpopulation to realise the treasure trove of knowledge behind our green hills, and provide a muchstronger story with which to attract smart young and not-so-young people into the industry.
Or maybe not.
Perhaps all our agriculture needs to do is pedal ever faster, keeping our eye and focus on theground instead of looking up and realising the potential of owning our story.