92. Roger Robson-Williams – Electrifying Farming

Are electric tractors the future workhorses of agriculture? What can life in New Zealand teach us about the fragility of global oil supply chains? And could electrification completely redefine how farm machinery is designed and used? This week Roger Robson-Williams joins Kit and Ray around Kit's dining room table to discuss his journey from crop scientist in the UK and New Zealand to becoming a freelance sustainability expert—and the owner of an electric tractor affectionately known as Lottie. Roger has a background in crop and horticultural science, working for the likes of RHS, FAR and The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd. His experience has given him a deep understanding of the challenges facing farming. Now a small holder and Sustainability consultant, Roger takes a systems-level view of the transition away from fossil fuels, explaining why electrification is about far more than simply replacing diesel engines with batteries. The trio explore how energy generation, storage, machinery and farm infrastructure must work together if agriculture is to make the most of electric power. Roger also shares what he's learned from putting Lottie through her paces on the farm. Which jobs are best suited to electric tractors? Is there a future for converting existing machinery, as pioneers like Ben Bament and Loxley Innovation are demonstrating? And as implements become smarter and electrically powered, could the mechanical PTO eventually become a thing of the past?...Critically the trio discuss if a better metric for electric tractor is crumpets per hour? To check out more from Roger and his consulting work visit Future-Fit Business Benchmar. Kia ora Roger! #BrashAg #AgriculturalEngineering #AgriTech #ElectricTractor #Electrification #FarmInnovation #FutureFarming #FarmMachinery #Engineering #PrecisionAgriculture #RenewableEnergy #BatteryElectric #NetZero #CleanTechnology #Podcast