Welcome to [ASK] - Always Seeking Knowledge! No 32 - June 29, 2009
Written and Published by Bruce Ward,
The Farm Business Gym Pty. Limited - www.the-farm-business-gym.com

In this issue:

1. Quick [ASK]
2. Welcome and announcements
3. What won't we talk about?
4. Update your diary
5. Books and materials you can use
6. Quotes that mean something

1. Quick [ASK]

But of course, doing the thing that has always been done and expecting a different result is, well... pretty silly most of the time. Sooner or later, change becomes inevitable. Then change itself is 'on the table!'

2. Welcome and announcements
There are two items that I think will interest and excite you, as they have me. Firstly, on June 17 this year, Drs. Joern Fisher and Kate Sherrin, from the Fenner Institute at Australian National University appeared before the Primary Industries and Resources Sub-Committee of the House of Representaives in Canberra. The Sub-Committee's task is to report to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, The Hon Tony Burke MP, on the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change. They had been asked to appear before the Sub-Committee to advise specifically about Holistic Management^tm. Dr Fisher came across Holistic Management when doing some research on biodiversity in the Central West of NSW. What first excited him was the realisation that when management changes, for many people trees often regenerate naturally. At the same time he realised that families were tending to be happier. Dr Sherrin is studying the social aspects of Holistic Management. You can read their full sworn testimony by accessing Hansard here.

I was present in the Committee room when this evidence was being given. It felt pretty good to me!

Another big news item (well, at least for me) relates to my Soil Carbon activities. My associate in Soil Carbon Australia Pty Limited, Tony Lovell, and I lodged an entry to compete in the Manchester Report, which is being prepared as part of this year's Manchester International Festival in the UK. We have been successful, in-as-much as we are one of 12 entrants who have been invited to appear before an expert panel to be chaired by Lord Bingham next weekend, July 4 and 5, 2009, in Manchester. Following next weekend the Guardian newspaper will issue a special supplement reporting on the outcomes of the work of the panel. This will become The Manchester Report. It will also be forwarded to the Conference of Parties in Copenhagen in December, when it is hoped that the global successor to the Kyoto Protocol will be established. By the time you receive this, I will be winging my way to Manchester.

Finally, after much hard work, especially by Ian Chapman (who will shortly become a Holistic Management Certified Educator), Holistic Management can now be presented nationally under the auspices of the Western Institute of the NSW TAFE system. Ian and I are collaborating with the first group, who we have politely termed our 'guinea pigs'. They are guinea pigs in as much as we are trialing a bunch of new technologies, and they have been most patient with us. The most important aspect is the use of the internet to run a number of classes between their face-to-face sessions. There have been a few problems, and we have probably not yet 'exceeded their expectations', but their feedback is that it will become a very valuable process. I am looking forward to this very, very flexible training model being rolled out in a much bigger way at some stage soon.

3. What won't we talk about
I was recently provoked by an article written by Seth Godin, a dynamic author of many publications. My favourite of his books is Tribes. Here is a review of that book. By the way, in a funny sort of way, you are in a Tribe of people, simply because you subscribe to this Newsletter.

The provocative article was entitled, What's off the table?. Here, Godin challenges people to consider and confront the things that they 'won't do'. No decision we make, or action we take, is made in isolation. They are all made in the light of of our cultural, political and other perceptions, usually handed to us as 'given', and these environmental perceptions begin at our birth. As a consequence of our personal background there are many things we won't countenance either 'doing' or 'not doing' as the case may be. All too often the beliefs rising from our past are so strong we fail to even test or challenge their contemporary validity, even though they might be blocking us from making the progress we otherwise should.

It got me thinking. What things are "off the table" for farmers? What are the things in our lives that we won't talk about? For organic producers, the use of non-certified inputs are absolutely off the table, even if they may be beneficial. And at the opposite end, for most non-organic producers the notion of even considering becoming certified as 'organic' is off the table. For most producers, building marketing alliances is off the table. For even more people, taking control of their entire marketing chain along the lines that Joel Salatin and family do, is off the table, even if it might be "obscenely profitable" and ecologically amazing.

I have observed that for some people, even though their land continues to degrade under current practices, it is simply too scary to contemplate change. The scary factor, understandably, is the risk of 'failing' the change process. This is a very real risk for smaller farm businesses, especially if they are short of 'financial fat'. If it all feels to be too hard, one way or the other, change is put 'off the table' for now. But of course, doing the thing that has always been done and expecting a different result is, well... pretty silly most of the time. Sooner or later, change becomes inevitable. Then change itself becomes, 'on the table!'

What is something that right now is "off the table" for you? Think deeply, and ask yourself, "Should it be off the table? Is this an attitude or belief that is holding me or us back?" If it is, what might you be able to do about it? Send me an email if you want to talk about it.

4. Update your Diary

2009 CITY TO SURF SPONSORSHIP REQUEST:
Last year I entered the City to Surf for the first time. I participated because it was a personal challenge for me. Taking into account walkers and runners of all shapes and skills, I finished in the top half of the field. This year I want a better challenge: I want my entry to mean something to others. Now don't get me wrong here, I will again be walking, not running, on August 9!!

This year I have elected to join a team that is raising funds for a chosen organisation, and I am asking for your financial support. You can support me - and my financial target for that organisation - by going to my City2Surf Hero Page.

You can learn more about my chosen organisation Stepping Stones House by clicking here. My sister, Anna Connery, and her husband, Gary, are significant supporters of Stepping Stones House, which, as you will read, receives no regular Government support. Those of you who follow Rugby Union or the great writings from the pen of Peter Fitzsimmons will recognise a familiar name on the donor list. In all, just a few people each year raise more than $400,000 to keep this good work going, and I'd appreciate if you can help help this year, too.

5. Books and Materials you can use
A Beast of Muddy Brain ISBN 978-1-60173-013-8
Charles Walters

You probably know of Charles Walters as the founder, in 1970, of Acres USA. This book, a novel, is the scarcely disguised biography of Walters himself. It covers his childhood in the dustbowl of Kansas, where dust storms lingered for weeks and months at a time; where new vehicle engines might be dusted within days, thereafter often consuming a litre of oil, or more, every 50kms. It talks of his time in Australia and the Phillipines during WW11, and it talks of the political and practical landscape of agriculture in America, from the 1900s till today. The book was published only months before Charles Walters death in January this year. What fascinated me, yet again, was the descriptions of the political interference within the agricultural sector of the USA, including the policies deliberately aimed at ensuring that farm incomes on "80% to 82%" of the land were on parity with that of an urban based office-cleaner. This was the genesis of the Farm Bill subsidy system that still supports US agriculture.

Without naming names, Walters describes grazing planning concepts, and offers some real insights into livestock production techniques. He is scathing about how mother cows in the US herd having become physically too large, and totally unrelated to the pastures they consume, because breeding policies are focused on producing for high feedlot performance. In Australia, others are now sounding this warning as well. The book's title comes from a poem by Tommaso Campanella. Walters wrote, 'Are the people really "a beast of muddy brain", and therefore destined to "stand loaded with wood and stone?"'

I enjoyed this book. At times it seemed it might wander off, but then back it came, right on track. I think you will enjoy it.

I am now reading Paul Kahl's autobiography, Cotton Pickin' Pioneer. Chronologically the timeline of Paul Kahl's career almost exactly mirrors that of Charles Walters. You may recall that Paul Kahl, who grew up in California, was one of the first Americans to move to Wee Waa, NSW, to establish the modern Australian cotton industry. More on this book at a later date. Suffice to say that I am finding it a great read so far.

The Brain That Changes Itself
Dr. Norman Doidge

A powerful book about plasticity of the brain. Plasticity is the brain's capacity to rebuild itself. The big take-home message for me was that to maintain brain fitness as we age, we must be prepared to start something new at least once every 5 years. It is not sufficient to get better at what we are already good at. We must do something completely new! Examples include learning to play an instrument, learning a new language, learning to play Bridge (not for me) and so on. One person I have heard of is working on completely re-working their right-hand brain domination to become a left-hand dominated brain. That's quite a task! It is 'horses for courses', and does not need to be expensive, but is almost certainly leads to an impoved quality of life in our latter year. The basic finding of Doidge's work is that the brain is a true 'use it or lose it' organ. I'd urge you to read it. Don't lose your mental and physical capacity.

By the way, most books we recommend are available at:
The Book Connection in Dubbo, NSW
Ph: 02 6882 3311 Fax: 02 6882 3311 or E-mail the Book Connection
(Also ask David Pankhurst about his Mail Order Catalogue - it is terrific)

or
Scorpio Books in Christchurch, NZ
Ph: 03 379 2882 Fax: 03 379 2886 or E-mail Scorpio Books

6. Quotes that mean something

"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it."
--Robert Heinlein

"Only dead fish go with the flow."
-- Unknown

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead