California goodbye

 A few closing comments on California to wrap up.  I tweeted actively during the week so check out my tweets if you want to see more on California  - @richardfitzger6 - but see below my close and brave brush with a snake.  When my Australian collegues were sceaming like school girls, I moved in close for the money shot.   Not bad for a Kiwi

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 Harmony with nature is  theme I picked up in California (as I also did in South Korea late last year).  As food producers we need to find the sweet spot for our food, land and climate and work with them rather than against.  I am pleased to say we are underway with a reasonably large biodiversity programme om our farm in NZ.  Just as in the photo below at a Californian training farm, looking at a farming enterprise more widely than inputs and outputs is very important.  What is the impact of our business socially, environmentally and financially, and how does this occur proactively.  How do our businesses contribute positively, not just minimise our impact