Welcome.
This will be the first in a ten-part series of articles for Spring 2026 under the Industry Innovator Group (IIG) banner. Over the coming months, I’ll explore issues that I believe sit at the heart of the agricultural technology conversation so stick with me.
I want to go about this differently from what seems to be the current norm – I want to approach these issues from the farm decision backwards, rather than from the technology forwards. Seems obvious to me, but let’s see what you think.
What is the IIG?
If you joined the last webinar, you will have heard this part already. I went through a bit about the who, what, when, where, why – you can watch the recording here.
The IIG isn’t an industry body or a commercial membership scheme. It’s basically a loosely connected group of agricultural professionals – farmers, agronomists, consultants, developers and other industry people – who work together on practical issues that need to be solved.
Too often, people raise problems but feel no one is listening.
The IIG is a forum to share needs, frustrations, ideas and opportunities, and to collaboratively build solutions with plenty of good people in the room.
It’s scientific in foundation, plain in language and built around real farm decisions.
Members will identify a small number of pressing challenges, test ideas, shape functional solutions and provide real and honest feedback on whether they deliver value.
If the group helps make life easier for people across the industry, it will have achieved what it set out to do.
It should exist already, but it doesn’t – so let’s just get to work hey?
Better decisions, not simply more technology
I have worked in and around Australian agriculture for nearly two decades.
One issue has become increasingly difficult to ignore: how do farmers continue to run profitable businesses, while also responding to growing expectations around sustainability, practice change, compliance and climate volatility?
I said in my last article that my work at Lightwood is designed to help businesses become more resilient and profitable through lots of small, 1% improvements, applied at the right time and in the right context – and most of it comes down to the way information flows through agriculture.
When i say ‘information’, people often jump to ‘technology’. While technology can be useful, technology alone won’t solve our problems. People, judgement and disciplined processes remain at the heart of meaningful change. Somewhere, somehow, these things have drifted apart – which is exactly why we’ve started the IIG.
So here’s my motto for the Industry Innovator Group: More groundwork. Less guesswork.
What that boils down to is, whatever problem is thrown in to the group, our measure of success at the end should be that – next time – we can:
- See the issue earlier.
- Decide with less guesswork.
- Act while there is time to make a difference.
- Prove what was decided, what was done and what happened.
Or, you know, in an ideal world the problem never reoccurs. But I’m also realistic.
And I just want to emphasise that this only matters when it improves a real farm decision. If it creates more dashboards, more administration or more noise without improving profitability, production or risk management, it has missed the point entirely.
If you’re still reading, your next step is to sign up to the group.
Where we go next
I’ve taken up the mantle, but I’m no expert on how this group should run. For everyone who has signed up so far, I’ll send you an email with a short survey to find out how you think it should come together.
We’ll get a group consensus on how often we should catch up, and where would be a suitable forum to hold the discussions. Plus I want to know what each of you want out of the group – but also what you want to avoid, or what would make you leave or not participate.
I don’t want to waste anyone’s time, Lord knows that’s precious – so you tell me what’s worth your time.
Seperately, I’m working on another webinar for October, and I want to talk about soil health and crop nutrition.
Soil health helps establish a paddock’s productive capacity. Crop nutrition determines how intelligently that capacity is used during the season. In the same format as last time, we’ll look at three practical 1% improvements you can address today for better outcomes – instead of chasing maximum output everywhere.
Here’s the kicker: a farm may have years of soil tests, yield maps, imagery and application records, yet still lack the evidence needed to support the next decision. The goal here is to make better use of the technology, knowledge and information we already have available. To make it make sense. And to turn it into timely, defensible decision-making that you, or your staff and advisors, can act on.
Hoping to lock in some special guests very soon, so stay tuned, should be a good one.
Alright, that’s enough from me for today… I trust you enjoy the series.
Geevesy.
