Legacy in Farming with Fritz Bolten

Oli Le Lievre 0:01 Well, it is finally here. Episode One 2024. I hope everyone's had a nice little break. Maybe some of you are still on a bit of a break, but we're back. We've had the most incredible and sometimes I have been but no, we've met the most incredible people across northern New South Wales and southern Queensland over the first couple of weeks of this year. And today we have a really awesome and exciting episode is the first one we've done with the son of someone who's been on our podcast. Fritz Bolton, you guys might remember a couple of years ago, we sat down with broker Bolton Shama from the Kimberley, her story of what her family went through, and what they've done with Kimberly fondamenta was incredible. And now as part of our partnership with Nuffield, Australia, we're bringing Fritz's story to life at the age of 11. Fritz Landon is Kimberly in Canada, he was unable to speak a word of English. And this new community and vast expanse of the Australian outback would be this young German boys new home, and a place that would impact and shape his life. Remember, for all because episode, she talked about losing her husband well, for its lost his father, as well as his brother. And his episode, he talks about what it was like going through that grief, and actually the burden that potentially can with trying to carry on someone else's legacy and dreams. He talks openly about succession and the opportunities that his business has created for both family but also non family members to pursue their own personal aspirations as well. So, Episode 1024, let's get into it. You're our first mother son duo. We had your mum for Orca. Alton, Bosch, Emma, on what a couple of years ago now and heard her story. And I'm excited to sit down as part of our collaboration with the Nuffield scholarship to hear yours and everything that you're up to make. But have you been? Yeah, Fritz Bolten 2:01 it's been an incredible couple of years. For us, having done the Nuffield has certainly been very unexpected, and very, very humbling. Yeah, there's a lot of changes happening here. Particularly now with with a change of farming, transitioning to cotton. Yeah, I think at the moment, I'm pretty worn out, but excited about Christmas. And we're excited about the wet season. And what's up ahead. It's exciting. How Oli Le Lievre 2:28 have you gone juggling the requirements of what Nuffield involves of global travel alongside keeping the business and everything going back home? Yeah. Fritz Bolten 2:35 So I think firstly, the most exciting thing about one of the most rewarding things about the Nuffield was actually just even during the application and first couple of interviews, I would have been pretty happy, even just with that, but walking away from the business, and essentially handing over my baby, as been, I think, really positive not only for myself and my relationship with my wife and the rest of the family, but also for Aaron, who's taken over running the farm. So we've got a couple of kids, once a midwife just moved back to Colorado, just with a husband, which is pretty awesome. And a son that wants to be of it. So he's studying very hard at the moment. I've got Aaron who is a young farmer that wants to make decisions and is passionate about farming. And so to be giving him the opportunity, and being a part of that has been challenging, and extremely rewarding and beautiful. For both of us. The key for me has been a handover the day to day operations of the farm. And to come back to the farm and take instructions from Aaron, who's my operations manager. It'd be quite Oli Le Lievre 3:47 humbling, wouldn't it because it would have been times I presume, when you were travelling, that you wouldn't have even had service in the locks to make some of those decisions, which he would have just been empowered to me. Fritz Bolten 3:56 Probably the hardest is when he makes better decisions and I could have that really sucks and it's really and it's really rewarding at the same time. It's quite an interesting emotion. When you go through that I tell ya, yeah, because you've enabled someone to do your job. And actually they still need you. But to have seen him make decisions that are better than mine is quite incredible. Scary as well Oli Le Lievre 4:25 talk me through that more because it's actually something I'm super fascinated in fits in and around this because naturally I presume that your role and everything that you do continues to evolve anyway, but that the task pieces that you have probably always done the Aaron's then in in doing a better job from you. What's that like and how have you balanced that? Fritz Bolten 4:46 So I think the key is when I think he's not doing as good a job as me or when I think he's making a mistake. I still let him do it. And it's been a big awakening or a big wake up call. That the reality is But when you're working as a team together, and you trust each other, everything so much easier and so much better, the end result. And that's what we've what we focus on not necessarily the journey, but the end result is there. And sometimes we tend to focus on that moment when everything's going wrong. And, and you would have done it differently, but then to, to step away from that. And see the big picture is really, really rewarding and critical, and really hard at times. So Oli Le Lievre 5:30 because you've been there and lived it, I really want to understand at times where you're in that moment, and you see when say things falling apart, you see some of these fractures and things happening. How did you make sure that you pulled yourself back and didn't step in to fix it then and there are Fritz Bolten 5:46 in ridding myself of the faith that I have in an IRA. And I also saw that I was treated. When I stepped into the farm after I'd been to uni. Ron was running everything. And he, he let me make mistakes. And he backed me up with that and saw that succession. And I saw the wonderful relationship that that developed. That's, it's really, really easy to copy an example. Oli Le Lievre 6:10 Yeah, for sure. Now, it's interesting, because I think so many people would find themselves in a different stages of their business journey. The other thing I wanted to chat to you about and ask you that you mentioned, so your daughter's come back to Canada as a midwife alongside her, her partner husband, that that makes you guys, third generation in Canada. And that's especially cool, given that you guys really, in the scheme of things haven't been there that long. Fritz Bolten 6:31 Yeah. So I always say that one thing that's missing in Canada are grandparents. And it is really hard living here because I think it attracts really incredible people and people that like adventure and risk and extremes and the type of people that are up here are pretty special anyway. But when I started bit longer, I think that's even more beautiful. But it was quite unexpected that that came and rides move back up here. But they might suddenly say they was they started in person and realise that they really liked the country and and the people here I think the freedom you can just drive 10 minutes drive in your in the bush, or the river Oli Le Lievre 7:12 has culinary changed in the time that you've been there, it's been 30 odd years hasn't it? Nearly Fritz Bolten 7:16 up to 43. So when we first came became our Wyndham was bigger than Canada, that's where the hospital was. And that's where all the people were mean whether where the main supermarket is in the centre of town now that remember, corroboree is being held there, like it was just Bush being cut off every wet season, going from picking fresh milk up from the neighbour a kilometre away to having powdered milk was quite interesting. But yeah, so that the end the community was cyclize. I don't think it's quite as nice a community now as what it was. But everybody was definitely at the beginning really happily relied on each other, and supportive of each other. You certainly don't fall in the I don't even think you fall through the gaps in the community now, but then even less so. Oli Le Lievre 8:09 So what does the town mean to you now? Fritz Bolten 8:11 It's home. I'm really passionate about it now and where it's going to be in the future. And it's ever evolving and changing. I'm pretty kind of imagine where it's going to be in the next 10 or 20 years. But I'm really hoping that it will be a strong, healthy, vibrant community. That's really what towns about for me, having that cohesion, and the resilience and the safety of a isolated country community. Oli Le Lievre 8:38 When you turned up there, you're an 11 year old or I just remember your mom vividly saying on the plane. I think she was thinking what on earth have I got myself into as she was coming into Canada or but for you. You weren't speaking a word of English at that time? No, it Fritz Bolten 8:54 was some we actually had a bit of a deja vu moment. A couple of weeks ago, there was a system church minister that turned up they moved from Tasmania to Canberra, we were there to greet them. It was a hot, hot, hot day, like as hot and humid as it can be. And I could see them walk off that plane and thinking what is this slot? How can anybody live here? And it was a bit the same but it was exactly the same when we walked off the plane 43 years ago, early April, we had a bit of a sun shower. So all the luggage got wet. And we were just it was hot and steamy. And I remember getting into a car and just burning my legs because the seats were so hot. And it was quite an adventure, I think but 100 times easier for us as kids and for our parents. But yeah, look not speaking English when you first went to school. That's a bit different. I remember getting on the school bus for the first time and I'd practised a little bit and I said, Hello, this is my sister Margaret. My name is Fritz and hello started laughing wasn't a good moment. But today it's I think it's quite rewarding that we survive that. I don't think anything malicious was meant by it. But it's incredible what we can survive. And how good we can remember those awful moments. It's really important to remember, your Oli Le Lievre 10:12 man was like a fair visionary coming out here all those many years ago, do you think like he saw potential in the in the area, especially in and around the world there? But do you think what the farming systems have evolved to like he could have even imagined? Yeah. And I think Fritz Bolten 10:26 he imagined that. That's why he came there. I mean, he was just a pioneer through him through a visionary and he was just probably 20 years too early. I think he really loved risks as well. And I think he saw some of that when we lived in Rhodesia, just just at the start of the Civil War. And I remember, mom telling a story of they went back in 74, or 75. So just sort of the sward started for two or three years now visiting Victoria Falls, and on the way back, I picked up a hitchhiker. Now, I know that my dad knew that this hitchhiker would have been a terrorist, he just did it for the thrill of it. And he wanted to help this guy, and he wanted to see what would happen. And he, he was confident enough that he could probably handle that situation. Now, I'm not in that same category. But that's a sort of personality was. Absolutely, there has to be a level of madness to do to do some of that. And, and I say that in a loving, respectful way. I think we need those sort of people around us all the time to help us grow and, and implement change and be better at what we're doing. But well, it's wild. Oli Le Lievre 11:44 I think I'm probably closer to you for it. I don't think I'd be quite as bright as what your old man was there. Did you say a few different farming so you either moved off to Perth, you were fluent in English by this stage. So you're you're headed off to Perth to boarding school? Do you want to get back to Canada and go farming? Or are you pretty open to those different scenarios and what might evolve? And Fritz Bolten 12:07 look, I think I was absolutely driven because of this, I was only six, seven weeks after dad died that I went to boarding school. And it was his dream to develop these farms up here and develop or be part of this community in our feet. Because he died of suicide. It was stunning. I was so determined and driven to continue that. But I also in my heart I knew absolutely that I was a passionate, I was passionate about agriculture and farming and in the soil. And in a lot of ways it just cemented my pathway. And, and I think I had so easy because I knew I just knew what I had to do. And what I had to do was what I wanted to do it synchronised should doesn't always happen. But anyway, I was very grateful for that journey. Or that I knew exactly where, where it was where I wanted to head. Do Oli Le Lievre 12:59 you think and I'm trying to think how to word this question. So if it comes out wrong, do you think do you think your dad, like he knew what was possible? And what could be created? There were, for various reasons, a few too many steps in there that he couldn't quite grasp. But for you, have you kind of grabbed his vision and then evolved it? Or was he just I'll say that far ahead in terms of what was possible. And you've just worked out the ways to put the rungs in the ladder to actually get there. Fritz Bolten 13:27 I think Dad was a we've done it as a team, particularly Rob and I work together really, really well. And Azar unlike my dad is a visionary, and he's got a level of madness about him. That's really lovable. Now, it comes up with our best ideas, and the worst ideas. And I say that to him quite openly. He doesn't agree with me. But I think a couple of things that that he did he he didn't have a lot of patience. He went big fairly quickly. He just went large scale too fast. And I think he really underestimated the climate physically leaving here in October, November, December through the wet season is the edge of what is possible. And it's a lot easier now. There's air conditioning everywhere. And we can jump on a plane and go to Perth if need be or even wear cars, air conditioned sets pretty easy from that perspective. But I think those are a couple of things he underestimated and I just couldn't see out of that and heading Oli Le Lievre 14:34 off to boarding school after Well, only six or seven weeks. But it must have been bloody tough. Like how do you go being distanced from the rest of your family? Fritz Bolten 14:44 No, they're not the best years of my life. So I really am I really only started growing when I left boarding school, and then I came and did the 11 and 12. So I was an outsider. And my name was Fritz. So Now I knew my dream, like a lot of a lot of people didn't know that my father had just passed away the line through suicide, and all counselling. There was no such thing. There was a really, really, really tough time. I remember a friend from from boarding school visiting us had actually just done the Canning Stock route on a motorbike, which is quite a feat. And spent a rocked up at our house. And I opened the door, and he looked at me and he looked up, and he said, Dr. Casey had been that size of wouldn't have teased you so much in school. So, yeah, that was, was actually really good. to, to, to, to hear that. But again, I think I think that's, that's life. Life's not necessarily always sell, or nice, but we need to, we need to really focus on the moments when, when it is and when we are filled with joy and, and endless energy. And for those moments. Oli Le Lievre 16:06 Tell me a little bit about your mum, during this time, because you guys are running several farms at the time, a bunch of young kids or at least teenage kids were running around at foot. How did she she go, just from your perspective? How does he go, grabbing all those challenges and turning them into opportunities in the end? Fritz Bolten 16:27 Just the courage, I think, still blows me away now, what she could have packed, packed up and gone back to Germany and had a pretty comfortable life there. And, you know, she also had to sell some property. And she actually leased most of the farms out very little money, basically, just for sure rights and water rights. So wasn't much in it. But I think for me, the what I found most encouraging is how Rob then came on the scene and Rob and mom were courageous enough to, to start a relationship and get married. You know, that's, that's pretty special. And Mum probably won't like me saying this. But I think for Rob to engage or become part of a family that was broken at that time. You know, it was it was really, really sad that we lost that and we, we all loved him. And we didn't want to lose them. And there was a Pete and Maria Avani little kids if Maria was an infant, so But Rob fell in love with all of us, and mum, and vice versa. And so it really filled a gap really quickly. But I think also, they developed a really or or mum developed a Christian faith really strongly, which is that was something that really, really helped and carried us through that. Yeah, that for people that are listening to this that are feeling discouraged. Just be courageous and keep going. It can only get better. And that's something that I really learned from my mother. She Oli Le Lievre 18:04 has a remarkable story in her own. So when you move back home after boarding school lot, Rob had a really important role in helping shape your farming interest but also use it a young feller into a man and through that growth spurt as well. Fritz Bolten 18:20 Yeah, definitely looking for me probably what? What was really gave me a lot of peace. No, I did I know that Rob was there for me if I needed father figure. And I often need to do some as my father because it's a lot less complicated. And it shows my other love and respect for for Rob, but Rob became a father to particularly Peter and Maria. And that was something that no I so quite emotional even thinking about it now because I'd had that father figure. And I adored my father so much. I knew that at least I could get that again. That was a really, really special thing for me to see that. Oli Le Lievre 19:06 That's so special. And so cool. Absolutely Fritz Bolten 19:08 cool. Now, we had such a big gap in our family. And that was a century filled and very special, I think and really unique. To have such a good, a good part of that story. Oli Le Lievre 19:20 I'd have to find the part in the episode with your mom where she mentioned staying in Canada and the options that were ahead, but I think it really did come down to you good, wasn't it and the opportunities that were available there? Fritz Bolten 19:33 Yeah, I think she she'll talk about she didn't want Teddy. She didn't want that for us and that had given so much she felt she wanted to keep that going or help fulfil his dream. Now I think it's really an I've come to the role like Realisation to it can be quite quite toxic when you're trying to fulfil someone else's dream or even finding a dream. Gotta be you gotta be a little bit careful. Like it was definitely my passion. That is It's not my wife's passion to fulfil my dad's dream, and not my children's passion to fulfil his dream so, so you have to tighten it down a bit and, and be a little bit selfless all. Like it can be all consuming you can use that as an excuse for inappropriate or bad behaviour or, or habits as well. So got to be a bit careful in that time. Oli Le Lievre 20:24 I've got a question on the next gen pace, because you've got one son is off studying that, and doing that career, the daughter about to turn return to the area as a midwife. Fritz Bolten 20:34 She's back. Oli Le Lievre 20:36 She well into the bags, were you always open to yet potentially, that the farming opportunities finishing like closing out with you and going oh, well, the kids are interested in other things, that's totally fun. Fritz Bolten 20:49 So I always wanted the kids to do something that they weren't good at, and that they enjoyed. And that challenged them. And I've fallen I never pushed him to become a farmer. I wanted them to be and, and I think, you know, our daughter, in particular would have been an incredibly good farm. And I know she might still be in I think Rick is Rick is gonna be an incredibly good vet. But look, I have that, that opportunity now, to do that sort of work with Aaron. Um, you know, he's not my son, and he's never going to be my son. But if he was that sort of opportunities we'd be, we'd be supporting each other through this journey. And I and I know that I physically I can't keep going the way I have been. So I needed, I needed someone to step in and help me with taking the load and making the decision. So and it's probably a bit selfish, because that's also then a way where I can I can be involved and hopefully pass on my experience for for a lot longer than what I'm what I would have normally done if I kept farming into my late 60s or something. I Oli Le Lievre 21:56 don't recommend selfish Hurrican it's yeah, I'd say it's absolutely not selfish at all. It creates the opportunities to keep having an impact and but also then allowing someone else to create their own pathways, but with the wisdom and knowledge that you've been able to accrue over your lifetime so far of farming. Fritz Bolten 22:13 Yeah, um, but it is my passion. It's not farming. It's not necessarily Andrea's passion. So there's a middle there's a middle ground, but hopefully I'll be able to be involved in, in farming for a lot longer through this path, even if it's not worth it. We see our children, for sure. And it's interesting. When we talk about potentially selling the farm, Becky, Rick, holy moly, does he burr up like he's so connected to the farm. They smiled a lot, which is pretty exciting. And incidentally, he is old. He says he wants to move back to Canada when he's when he's finished again. I know he fundamentally does, but depends on who his partner might be and what the family circumstances. Tom will tell. Oli Le Lievre 23:04 I'm gonna ask you a few questions about in our field. I think on your your topic is quite niche. And I don't know how many questions or haters I'll have on it. But your topic was looking at solutions to executing time sensitive operations on heavy wet soils during monsoon weather conditions. Starting at the end, did you work out and find these solutions? While Fritz Bolten 23:24 we're working through some of those solutions? Now? Firstly, I think it's it was something we've got to try and plant cotton in February, that's when when we'll have the maximum amount of sunlight and data grey temperature related climatic conditions during bar fill. Now February, we never did it. We can't do any farming. It's just an impossibility. And so we have to have a real paradigm shift and but I'd learned about paradigm shifts from doing what was the right mind and the light dive handle and deal rugby taught us a lot on how to implement paradigm shift. And so, you know, it's anything's possible, I think it will happen. And I'd really hoped that we'd find like, have a cover crop that can destroy the soil out and then you just go in and plant or we'll have a little robot that can do the job or solemn elation and, and get better drainage or few things like that. But yeah, what really became apparent is that if we actually all work together, and collaborated, we could get the job done easily. But you've got to let go of egos. You've got to really trust others. They've also got your best interests at heart. It's pretty hard to let go of egos. My planner is better than my neighbours always say, and it is. And therein lies the problem. If we can pull this off and start really collaborating, and working together in our, in our little farming community, it will just notch up so many levels to not just getting the crop in the ground, but so many other incredible things that are both my positive economic impact, but also social impacts, I think. Do Oli Le Lievre 25:21 you not agree, though, Fritz that you've already done it in, like, traded that environment for collaboration on your own farm with what you've been through with Aaron? And I guess that balance of ego in terms of letting it go? It's just how do you then allow others to do that? Fritz Bolten 25:36 Yep. But yeah, the level of trust that Aaron gives me, and that I give him is, I think, to a level of Father, Son. So that's quite unique. The level of trust with my neighbours can never be the same, I don't think and that, or maybe it should be, but But I think, yeah, building that collaboration within our farm, is really set a really good foundation. But yeah, we've collaborated in the past a fair bit. That's Rob's. That's really foundation said, Rob was Rob has set. Like we used to grow horticulture with a neighbour. And that was really the most that was so exciting, and worked so well. And when we worked with recruits, and it was selfless, it was a win win. It was not them. And us it was, it was us. And we we work with our strengths and complimented our weaknesses, or fill the gaps, where weaknesses, where Oli Le Lievre 26:33 did you find yourself as your studies went on, that you refined, and look look less for the mechanical solutions, as opposed to how businesses has enabled that trust building amongst stakeholders, or communities that built trust amongst stakeholders to get ahead and make changes I did that evolve, Fritz Bolten 26:51 as I certainly started looking at, at how, and our people started making decisions. And examples of how people handle extremes. And it was when I, when I was on that on the Amish farm in in Canada. It wasn't instant, but it took a it really touched me and they worked together. Yeah, and I didn't particularly like the way women were, were they seemed to be dominated children did exactly as they were told, I didn't particularly like that. But what I'm what I saw was there was still a level of happiness and joy and productivity that I hadn't really noticed in other settings that everybody had each other's back. I saw that in so many places. I saw that in Germany, where they were, they've got setups where they facilitate machinery operations and, and services or air saw it in, in the US where people certain ways how they are they get staff, sometimes legal, sometimes illegal. But otherwise, there was always that when when in the in the solution was and it was always, it was always about people. If you get the other people saying right, then you're gonna win. Now the people, the people, the people. Oli Le Lievre 28:09 So did you find yourself coming back home and implementing things? Or have you really needed time to kind of sit and ruminate on what you actually saw around the world and start to work on ways to bring your community together? Laron Fritz Bolten 28:21 wouldn't let me do the work I want to do. So I had to ruminate on it. Yes. Now we've, we've definitely implemented and are implementing things to facilitate all of this, I mean, some of the machinery and agronomic things are happening at the moment, we're just about to start just had some rain on the weekend. But when it gets dry, we'll, we'll put some of this crop shielding stuff into see if that helps with our soils and our ability to plant. We certainly changed a lot of machinery around and the whole structure around drainage and etc. But we've made an effort to go out of our way to work in with our neighbours as well and, and really showcase how much of a win win it is to work together. That was a lot of fun. And and sometimes you think I will, there's more tape and give. It's when you need to remove yourself from the moment then and then see that big picture being pretty, it's been rewarding and it's worked. We just need to upscale it a bit now, Oli Le Lievre 29:22 you mentioned a few of those different learnings from those different regions. I went to a Hutterite farm when I was working in Davidson little in Saskatchewan in Canada. And I tell you it was the most mind blowing thing ever, in terms of how they how they set it up. But was there a significant moment on the whole programme that really, I guess his has shaped you and sits at the top? Yeah, Fritz Bolten 29:44 it was it was that moment where the ambition for seeing how well they work together. How much faith they had. Like I mean the Christian faith is was a cornerstone to them knowing that ultimately God had that control. And that's something that kept him going together. But that took me quite a long time to realise that that was the light bulb moment for me even a couple of months, to be honest. But it just blew me away the level of confidence that it gave that little community or that family that they're all working together that on the same song sheet is incredible. So Oli Le Lievre 30:25 I've got one other question just on that, Britain. And I don't know if it's, if you've got one that's top of mind, or if it's if it's easy or hard to answer. But anyway, we'll find out. If you had the chance to apply for a Nuffield again, but you couldn't choose the same topic, knowing what you know now, what do you think you'd pick is your topic or area that you'd be keen to look into? Yeah, Fritz Bolten 30:42 I've often dreamt of doing the Nuffield a second time, because I think you'd get so much more out of it, because we've had a bit of practice. I think Olli that's too hard a question. I think one of the things that Nuffield does any type of of that sort of network of people that stretch your imagination, it just it opens you up to so many things that you never thought was possible, it makes you a lot less judgmental. So you see open to a lot more out their opinions, and you listen to Mad people a lot more, or different people. So I know if I think if I had to do another Nuffield Scholarship, it would be how do you ready yourself for, for learning how to keep your mind open, and execute those new learnings, those paradigm shifts those those new pathways for your business in your life and your family and your community? Because I think most people struggle with change. Yeah, how do you implement change, be in that sort of direction, if Oli Le Lievre 31:48 I was to apply for one, and as I was thinking through that application process of binary, choose a topic and all of that, what would be your advice to someone like myself, Fritz Bolten 31:56 but I think still, the most important thing that I did was actually write the application. It was like a little strategic plan for me, and I just had a go at it. And I thought about it. And I changed it a few times. And then when I finished I was quite chuffed with with what I had. And you gotta remember, I think most people that will have a go at enough, you'll scholarship will think now that I'm not good enough for this. And they exactly the people Nuffield wants that 99% Enough fields think they're imposters and in my example, and there's two categories that you had to meet, to apply. One was you had to be younger than 45. And you had to be an Australian citizen. Now, I had started my process of becoming an Australian citizen at that stage. And I've been putting it off because it's a pain in the backside to do that, that sort of bureaucratic stuff, I don't like it. And, and I wanted, I wanted the kids to be able to have a dual, dual citizenship. So I not only was I was not a citizen, and I was too old. But I had I use a user mentor to bounce things off of all the time. And, and Chris really said to me, no, you are doing this, nevermind what the what the limitations are, this is this is what's going to be good for you. So and I'll tell you what, after I did the application had the first interview already, it was a win win. For me. It was, it was that experience was so incredible, I grind so much just in that process. Everything after that was just a bonus and my head still spinning from from the things that I experienced, and I'm still still working through it. It's where Oli Le Lievre 33:45 I presume it's one of those things where it just keeps popping up and influencing your life in all sorts of ways. From here on in as Fritz Bolten 33:51 well. Yeah, I don't know, if it should be called a Nuffield Scholarship, it should be called an AI field network or Nuffield family see become a part of this big family and, and, you know, I can bring anybody in the world and, and talk to them about challenges or joys or problems and, and they will respond to me at a whole different level because of this network that that have become a part of and it's just pretty special. It's and I'd never thought I'd be part of that or that I was in close to being good enough to doing it. And certainly when I was writing my report, I certainly didn't think I was I was good. Now I'm very dyslexic, and I struggled a lot. But we got through. Oli Le Lievre 34:46 So one question I asked for it. And I think it's probably a really good conduit to bring it in is I think there's such an opportunity for us to share more about why people should pursue a career in agriculture, especially when they're in those kinds. The key yeas, and RJC 10 for it, but if you were to choose a classroom full of you, 10 students, what would you say to them about why they should consider a career in agriculture? Fritz Bolten 35:09 I think I'd ask them first, what they deny or what they think about agriculture? And I think the answer would be I just do long hours and he gets dirty, and you have to deal with drought and all this negativity. And then I'd enlighten the attendees that I think agriculture is going to be up we are the guardians of land and water, agriculture, sacred work. But it's also the variability of work with doing the and especially the change that's going to happen in agriculture or has happened in agriculture is incredible. So it's a lot about how to apply new technology. And in our thing, in the next five or 10 years, there's going to be a lot of autonomous vehicles on farm. And we're going to have people sitting in offices with screens, operating 50 swarm bots, going up and down. So I think I would say to those future leaders, consider agriculture because it's actually a lot more than what you think there's a lot more technology and a lot more joy. It's also working with soil and, and sun and water, and then producing something. It's so incredible on a farm because I love planting seed and seeing it germinate. I can't sell a single hydrating invoices, I hate it, I just can't do it. I need help. It's stupid. But saying crops come up out of the ground or seeing crops grow is so incredible. And to be part of that. It's really beautiful. And with endless opportunities, Oli Le Lievre 36:45 for sure. And the part I love how you started that response was that you said you'd ask first as well, which I think is just so important, understand where they're at, and then show them because as you go on, I said that AG has so many of these solutions and options. For them. It's just understanding Well, with all those options, how do you actually find the ones that they're going to care about? And that's how you get there by asking. Well, Fritz, thank you so much for joining us for chat, have really enjoyed it. And just one more gotta go to air early in 2024. And we're back underway for another year. Cool. Fritz Bolten 37:18 I've really enjoyed it too early. And if you ever make it up here, try and come up in the wet season when the waterfalls are flowing. It'll blow your mind. We'd love to show you some of that. Might Oli Le Lievre 37:28 as we started off, I was like, What are you talking about the build up to the wet I was like, You know what, maybe I should just put it on my bucket list and and get out there and spend a month in the nitty gritty of that wet season just as it's brutally. Yeah, hot, humid, but also incredible with the storms and everything else that comes to life. Fritz Bolten 37:46 Come when they're when they're storms. You don't want to be in the build up when it's just hot and humid. It's really incredible. You're You're when it's a bill I've everybody's the down and out. We all are. It's everything's hard. And then it starts raining and within seconds. Everybody's joyful. It's a miracle. And it's still every time it blows me away when I see it. And I see it all the time, of course, but I just can't can't get enough of it. Oli Le Lievre 38:16 Well, I'll get up there soon. If it's not fair this year or next year. It'll be the one after perfect for its thank you so much. Well, that's it for another episode from us here. Humans of agriculture. We hope you're enjoying these podcasts. And well if you're not, let us know hit us up at Hello at humans of agriculture.com. Get in touch with any guest recommendations topics, or things you'd like us to talk and get curious about. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. Right subscribe, review it. Any feedback is absolutely awesome. And we really do welcome it. So look after yourselves. Stay safe, stay sane. We'll see you next time. See ya Transcribed by https://otter.ai