Welcome back team to another episode of Selling in the Paddock!

Today I’m joined by Ben Van Delden — founder of Delco AgriFood, co-founder of We Three AI, and a key partner in the Australian AgriFood System Alliance.

If you’re picturing a simple job title, think again. Ben’s world crosses oysters, circularity, AI, livestock, climate strategy and big-picture system change in Australian agriculture and beyond.

And yes, we recorded this rugged up on the first day of Melbourne summer. Of course we did.

• ​Ben’s childhood in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty
• ​Canoeing to school and working on his parents’ oyster farms
• ​Early lessons in labour, risk and why he chose to pair agriculture with a business degree

Ben breaks circularity down in practical language:

• ​Using resources for as long as possible within a system
• ​Moving from “waste” to “value” in horticulture, livestock and processing
• ​Real-world examples:

◦Hail-damaged crops and second/third pathways

◦Nutra V and broccoli powder

◦Dairy by-products turned into new value streams

◦Using organic waste for energy and methane reduction

We dig into how We Three AI is building a kind of “virtual vet”:

• ​Using cameras and computer vision to:

◦Count cattle more accurately

◦Flag human–animal interactions and potential safety issues

◦Detect health issues, lameness and shy feeders earlier

• ​Reducing wasted feed and unnecessary antibiotics
• ​Helping animals reach target weights faster, with better welfare and lower emissions

Ben shares insights from his time in places like Denmark:

• ​Why strong social systems can fuel innovation
• ​How Denmark’s people voted for a 70% emissions reduction target
• ​Alignment between government, research and industry
• ​Carlsberg’s water reduction goals and what that means for Australian barley growers

We explore the work of the Australian AgriFood System Alliance:

• ​Bringing commodity groups, processors, retailers, finance and others into one system view
• ​Designing structures and strategies that sit above individual sectors and states
• ​Why climate, circularity and food security can’t be solved in silos
• ​The big challenge: shifting behaviour in an industry built on fragmentation and competition

This is where it lands for leaders, sales teams, and anyone working in ag:

• ​Why behaviours are so deeply ingrained and hard to shift
• ​The role of vulnerability and mission in changing how we work
• ​The importance of picking issues big enough that no-one can solve them alone

Ben also shares a powerful piece of advice from Barry Irvin (Bega Cheese / Regional Circularity Cooperative):

Share your problems widely – even with competitors. Human nature makes it very hard for people not to help you solve them.

Gold.

• ​Coffee order: Almond flat white (long black at home)
• ​Music: Bruce Springsteen – Should I Fall Behind (his wedding song)
• ​Watching: American Primeval
• ​Reading/Gaming: More systems and strategy than Netflix, but that series has him hooked

In the show notes I’ll link to:

• ​Delco AgriFood
• ​We Three AI
• ​Australian AgriFood System Alliance
• ​Ben Van den Delden on LinkedIn

🔍 In This Episode We Cover🌊 1. Growing up on an island & canoeing to school♻️ 2. What the circular economy actually looks like in ag🤖 3. We Three AI – computer vision for cattle and welfare🇩🇰 4. Lessons from Denmark, the Nordics and global leaders🇦🇺 5. The Australian AgriFood System Alliance🧠 6. Behaviour change, trust and sharing the hard stuff☕ Rapid Fire – Get to Know Ben🔗 Connect with Ben