Beef Improvement Federation
The Power is in
the Question
By Kaci Foraker
Developing a different way of thinking
opens up large opportunities for
innovation in the livestock industry.
Innovation comes from two places: a pain point
or an unhappy customer. Those two occurrences
drive the need for innovation, said Tom Field, Paul
Engler chair of agribusiness entrepreneurship
at the University of Nebraska Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources, during the
Young Producers Symposium hosted with the
2019 Beef Improvement Federation research
symposium June 18-21 in Brookings, S.D.
“The problem and unhappy customer by
themselves don’t solve problems,” Field said.
“Someone has to bring creativity to the table.
But when we find the problem and customers
with the problem and apply creativity to
it, that’s when we get innovation.”
Design
Field said innovation lies in abstract designs.
It’s finding ways to go around, under, over
or through a wall to reach the other side.
In an example, Field compared an incubator for
babies built in a high-tech environment and one
in a developing country. Both countries needed
to have a device that would help compromised
babies survive. The high-tech incubator used
electricity and needed qualified repairmen to fix.
The developing country had no such way to get
18 | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019
the high-tech device or repair it upon breakdown.
The country had extremely efficient cars that could
run without electricity. The country innovated
with its resources by using headlights for warmers
and a car horn for distress signals, said Field.
“They found how to use the resources
available to them to solve the problem
in a different way,” said Field.
Solution
Individuals just have to be willing to step out of
their box and try, said Field. He proposes two
options for someone to become more innovative.
Hitting the reset button on a person’s life is one
way to start innovation. Field poses the questions:
“What if what we do today wasn’t available to
us? What if we had to start over from scratch?”
Starting over isn’t always common
advice but rethinking every aspect of an
operation could spark innovation.
“It’s hard to start all over again, but if you don’t
like that idea, try: What would it take to be the
best in the world at what we do?” said Field.
The world can be defined in many different
ways, but the idea of how to be the best in
the world forces individuals to rethink their
everyday practices. Field admits there isn’t one
solution to start innovation in the agriculture