4 steps to create culture of innovation in animal ag

In order to improve efficiencies and better feed a growing global population, it is important for the animal agriculture industry to create a culture of innovation.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Zaiets | BigStock.com)
(Zaiets | BigStock.com)

In order to improve efficiencies and better feed a growing global population, it is important for the animal agriculture industry to create a culture of innovation.

But how can such a culture be created? Speaking during the April 23 webinar, “How to bring ‘sexy’ back to animal ag innovation; adoption matters,” Kerryann Kocher, principal, Rock Road Consulting, said there are four steps involved. Those are:

1. Solve for real needs

In order for innovations to make a difference, the industry first should identify its needs, and be very clear in expressing what those needs are, Kocher said.

“This is a critical path to the future of protein. This invites problem solvers to seek solutions for industry and apply technologies to our problems, versus trying to just bring technology that’s not meaningful to our problems,” she said.

When a need is identified, it benefits the agriculture industry because it attracts new talent, she added.

2. Inviting access

“If you are a producer, a processor a veterinarian, an allied industry representative – if you are on this call – I’d encourage you to create access points for entrepreneurs and problem solvers, to see, feel and understand the challenges you face every day,” Kocher advised.

Culture is really defined by behaviors, she said, and the animal agriculture industry should strive to be known as “the most available, accessible, open and enthusiastic market for innovation.”

“We must open our doors and invite people in. And I think this is a real opportunity for us, and actionable for each of us in our market,” Kocher said.

3. Adapt and iterate

One access is invited to farms and ranches, and new theories and ways of doing things are explored, success is not always achieved early.

“If it fails, do we iterate or penalize,” she asked.

This is an interesting dilemma, she said, adding that the best way to approach this may be to replace the fear of black eyes with the desire to learn and iterate to find a new solution.

4. Be proactive

The idea of being proactive might sound simple, yet it is difficult to actually put that idea into motion around the day-to-day tasks at hand.

“Animal agriculture is daily. Every day we get up and we have to deliver. We have to make sure those animals are fed. We have to do the daily chores,” she said.

Kocher recommended setting aside a few days to speak out and engage with innovators, and try something new during those days. She also suggested dedicating a small portion of your budget, “just to establish that we are moving the ship forward.”

“When you don’t do that, you get stuck in the daily,” Kocher said.

The webinar featuring Kocher was the third in the Future of Global Protein webinar series, hosted by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture. Topics covered in previous webinars included what proteins are positioned to benefit the most from population growth trends, and how animal agriculture should view the challenges being brought on by the emerging cell-cultured foods sector.

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