And that’s a wrap for 2025

Posted on | by Coutts J&R in Amy's Posts, News & Updates

It’s been a minute since we posted a news update! The last year has been super busy at Coutts J&R and we’ve had many projects on the go. So, to round the year off, I thought it would be an idea for us to practice what we preach and share some reflections about 2025 and what we think is important to think about for 2026.

What were your highlights (can be work or anything else!)?

Ben – Going to Wagga with Jeff and meeting the CSU team working on the Long Term Field Trial and in the Southern NSW Hub (there’s even a case study!). The AES conference in September was also very interesting.

Jeff – Working with good project teams running programs (our clients!). Appreciate their professionalism, desire to do the best they can for producers and their advisers, and their constructive input to the evaluation processes. A specific highlight was going to Chile and attending the International Dairy Symposium and running two workshops which shared the output of Australian projects looking to increase the impact of research and extension. And the fly fishing that was the reward at the end of the workshop!

Amy – Finishing my PhD was a huge milestone this year – personally and professionally. Changing my email signature to Dr Amy Samson was definitely a moment! Also going to the graduation ceremony reminded me of the importance of taking the time to celebrate life achievements (big and small).

What have you learnt over the last year?

Ben – People still need lots of M&E assistance to capture the right information. There continues to be increasing realisation from funders of the value of impact data which hasn’t always been intuitively captured by projects in the past.

Jeff – There is a lot of monitoring and evaluation data that is requested and never used in any constructive way. Also the value of good narratives in capturing the impacts that result from different programs and projects. Evaluation isn’t just about numbers.

Amy – One thing that has really stuck with me is from a Queensland Government project researching the benefits of vegetation in water run off channels (or drains). Leaving vegetation in the drains (rather than killing it off) can help remove excess nitrogen from the water and improve water quality. It’s made me look at water drainage completely differently and you can read about the project here. And one other thing I learned from the ‘Nuts for Life’ project, is that it’s important to keep raw nuts in the fridge!  

From an evaluation point of view, what are the key things to think about for 2026?

Ben – The importance of understanding AI outputs and being able to interpret and assess based on human skills and experience. For example, understanding the nuances of the input (e.g. qualitative interviews, secondary data) and when AI over emphasises issues that are peripheral not central. AI doesn’t know when it’s right or not, it looks for patterns.

Jeff – Programs really need to consider useful and practical indicators to report against, including long term indicators that can reasonably be attributed to a program and are able to move, despite the background noise (e.g. climate challenges, markets, government policy).  

Amy – Like Ben, I think the use of AI is only growing in many industries. It was a big topic of interest at the AES and APEN conferences this year. Being able to use AI well and in ways that help productivity and effectiveness is important. However, as we keep moving forward, the ability to discern the appropriateness, focus and accuracy of AI-led outputs in M&E contexts is becoming more important. Particularly when critical and nuanced thinking is important.

Hope you have a good end of year break and we look forward to an exciting 2026!

Amy, Ben and Jeff

My three key takeaways from evokeAG. 2025

Posted on | by Amy Samson in Amy's Posts, News & Updates | Tagged , , ,

This week I attended evokeAG. 2025 in Brisbane and it was inspiring to see all the different types of technology being developed for, and by, the agriculture sector. As a way to reflect (and to practice what we preach in evaluation!) I thought I would share my three key takeaways from the two days.

The first takeaway is that almost everyone is interested in AI and what it can do in agriculture. I think the same can be said for evaluation. It’s going to be really important to continue to evolve how AI is used to increase effectiveness and efficiency in data analysis and insights. I’m also keen to see how contextual data can be brought in – for example bringing policy and or industry trends into the mix.

The second takeaway is that while many people were talking about the economic and production impacts of their products or innovation, there was very little to no focus on how these were being measured or their broader impacts on farming systems. I think it would be valuable to understand what success means for different innovations and approaches and how the data is being or will be collected. An opportunity for evaluation specialists to be more overtly involved in the Ag innovation space perhaps? In Tuesday’s opening plenary, one person in the audience commented:

“Sustainability rests on three pillars: social, economic and environmental.
Yet discussions often focus on one. Makes for a fragile structure.”

The third takeaway I already knew, but it was good to hear it being talked about in this forum. The wonderful Leigh Sales (from 7.30 and Australian Story) talked about storytelling and how powerful it is to be authentic and real when telling stories, because it builds trust in what you’re sharing. It also helps to make your story stand out from much of the misinformation floating around. Storytelling was also talked about in relation to farming women and how there is more opportunity for their stories to be shared to break the broader narrative of the farmer’s wife. This conversation resonated closely with my PhD research about how some farming women are purposefully using social media to be authentic and genuine about their climate experiences to educate others about agriculture.

As someone who works in the agricultural industry across a range of different projects and programs it was encouraging to see so many people in one place who are optimistic about and innovating for the future. It was also great to see the Drought Hubs there sharing about their impacts in the innovation space. I’m looking forward to attending again sometime in the future.

Jeff’s Update September 2024

Posted on | by Jeff Coutts in Jeff's Posts, News & Updates

It’s getting to be more of an annual blog update from me rather than the planned quarterly.  Life and work get in the way – but I will work towards better balance and a more regular blog!

What has really hit me recently is how the pendulum is swinging back to a national interest in agricultural extension (and advisory services), extension frameworks, extension capacity – in fact all things extension.  We are working with John James (Enablers of Change) and Denise Bewsell (Scarletti) on two cross – Rural Development Corporation projects exploring how to strengthen extension capacity and impact in Australia.  The Research for Impact project (lead by Hort Innovation) focuses on working with 13 projects across a range of industries to see how evidence-based principles and approaches can maximise their impact.  The Determining the future extension capacity and capability required to support Australian agriculture project (lead by AgriFutures) is about better understanding the current national extension status and the capacity and capability needed to meet current and future demands.  Recently, we also completed a Queensland DAF project looking at the skills that extensionists and advisers need at different stages of their career depending on their role.

This interest is also occurring at a time when the Federal Government – through its Future Drought Fund – has increased its funding of extension projects and roles.  This is through the Drought and Innovation Hubs, the Farm Business Resilience Program, placement of Adoption Officers among others.  It adds to the investment in extension in the Reef programs and Landcare projects to name just a couple.

This all highlights the central and on-going need for extension and advisory services – to provide the human factor in facilitating and enabling the change process.  Having information available is not enough – it’s about providing learning and enabling environments for people to be aware of opportunity, co-develop, access and use the information as it is relevant to their situation.  Extension also has a broader role across the innovation system to bring stakeholders together to improve systems, collaboration and the support environment.  These functions cannot readily be replaced by technologies.

My wife Robyn and I did manage to have a nice break in Europe earlier this year including a visit to Spain (to help me with my Spanish!), The Netherlands (where I did my PhD) and Scotland (where my grandfather hailed from).  It was a welcome and refreshing break.   I have included some sketches I did while travelling as well as a photo of Balmoral Castle – where my great grandmother worked on staff for a time.