Advertise on podcast: Ideas That Grow

In this episode of Ideas That Grow, Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson speaks with Lisa Rogers, outgoing CEO of Rural Leaders. Lisa reflects on her nine-year tenure, the evolution of Rural Leaders, and the enduring impact of flagship programmes like Kellogg and Nuffield. She explores how leadership development, collaboration, and a strong alumni network have helped shape confident, capable leaders across New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.

In this episode of Ideas That Grow, Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly Managing Editor, talks to Dr. Victoria Westbrooke, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Land Management and Systems at Lincoln University. Victoria discusses the Engage Programme, a three-day professional development initiative run in partnership between Lincoln University and Rural Leaders, designed to bridge the gap between agribusiness professionals and on-farm realities.Victoria offers insight into why providing contextual farm knowledge to technology specialists, researchers, environmental professionals, and policy-makers is crucial for helping them apply their expertise effectively.

In this episode of Ideas That Grow, Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly managing editor, talks to Richard Green, farmer, director and 2025 Value Chain Innovation Programme alum.  Richard discusses his background and his Value Chain Innovation Programme experience, and offers keen insight into why understanding value chains and value chain models is so important for anyone wanting to take advantage of the opportunities New Zealand Inc. and farming have to integrate our value chains and think globally.

Thomas Holmes is an arable farmer and a 2024 Kellogg Scholar. In this podcast he talks to Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly managing editor, about his family farm’s evolution, overseas experience, his Kellogg research report and his Kellogg experience. Thomas unpacks his report’s ‘what next’ view of arable farming in Canterbury. He discusses profitability challenges, diversification, and integration with other sectors. Thomas advocates collaboration, mindset change, and leadership from younger farmers to adapt to climate, market, and technological shifts.

In this episode of Ideas That Grow, Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly managing editor, talks to Richard Dawkins, 2023 Kellogg Scholar and Marlborough sheep and beef farmer. He is also the new meat and wool chair for Federated Farmers. Richard discusses his family’s diverse 602-hectare farm operation, which includes sheep, cattle, forestry, and viticulture. He shares his experiences abroad and how returning home reignited his passion for farming. He also talks about his Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme journey and research on lamb and ewe mortality, emphasising the need for better data and body condition scoring. The discussion also covers leadership, collaboration, and the importance of timing when engaging in personal development. 

In this podcast, Hugh Ritchie, 2000 Nuffield Scholar and Hawke’s Bay farmer, shares his leadership journey and insights with Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson. Hugh discusses growing Drumpeel Farms into a diverse 2000-hectare operation, the impact of his Nuffield experience on his personal growth, and on irrigation and strip tillage and the need for better water infrastructure. He emphasises collaboration, global learning, and the importance of leadership development as vital to strengthening NZ’s food and fibre future.

Jenni Vernon, 1994 Nuffield Scholar, farmer and director, talks to Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson about her leadership journey, her Nuffield experience, research, and on not underestimating the power of face-to-face communication in a sometimes-disconnected social media age. 

Phil Weir, 2020 Nuffield Scholar, farmer, farmer director for BLNZ and associate director for AGMARDT, talks to Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson about the positive value industry good brings to farming. Phil also talks through some of the challenges and opportunities for sheep and beef farming and how his Nuffield Scholarship and research has given him a valuable global perspective. 

In this Ideas that Grow podcast, Lisa Lunn, 2024 Kellogg Scholar, talks to Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor at Farmers Weekly about her Kellogg research into the use of genetic technologies in agriculture. Lisa’s research presents a balanced view that unpacks the challenges, and the opportunities genetic technologies offer the food and fibre sector.

In this Ideas that Grow podcast, Dave Nuku, 2024 Kellogg Scholar, talks to Bryan Gibson, managing editor at Farmers Weekly, about his work with Ngamanawa Incorporation, his Kellogg experience, and adopting a philosophy of kaitiakitanga in business.

In this podcast, Esther Donkersloot, 2024 Kellogg Scholar, talks to Bryan Gibson, managing editor at Farmers Weekly, about her research with LIC on breeding heat tolerant cows. Esther came to New Zealand to do her Masters’ thesis and never left. Good thing too. Having studied at the prestigious Wageningen University, she has steadily built a career looking into better genetic outcomes for our dairy herd – especially as the planet gets warmer. Along with her research at LIC, Esther discusses her Kellogg report insights on genetics’ social licence to operate.

Jack Cocks, 2021 Kellogg Scholar, talks to Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson about his research into resilience in the face of adversity. Jack, who works on Mt. Nicholas Station with his family, faced his own adversity in the form of a brain aneurysm that sparked a recovery journey spanning 15 surgeries over six years. He shares the three things all resilient and thriving farmers have in common.

In this episode, Lisa Rogers, Rural Leaders CEO, talks to host Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly managing editor, about the recently released report ‘A Path to Realising Leadership Potential in Aotearoa NZ’s Food and Fibre Sector’, along with its leadership development framework, and the leadership programmes serving as key tools for building more and ever greater leaders. Rogers says while Rural Leaders is traditionally and at its core about leadership, it's also increasingly moving into the capability space now and the journey to leadership –  from first steps on their leadership development right through operations teams and into that strategic level of leadership as well. If we believe the Food and Fibre sector has a Leadership challenge versus a Productivity challenge, then developing our sector’s leadership capability needs to be a priority.

Halfway through the 2024 Scholarship Programme, Scholar Rachel Baker gives us a unique perspective from inside Nuffield. Rachel speaks with Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly managing editor, about some of the similarities and differences between the farming systems in the countries visited so far with New Zealand’s. She discusses insights from Indonesia’s farming industries, France’s love of food, Denmark entering an emissions scheme, California’s water challenges and Chile’s low rates of Research and Development. This is a must listen for anyone considering a Nuffield Scholarship.

Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson speaks to Campbell Parker, chief executive officer at DairyNZ.  Campbell discusses his involvement with the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and how leading with authenticity can go a long way to helping us all achieve big things in a time of rapid change.