Scott Hobson—The Curator of Modern Farming with Native Wisdom
Agriculture is a science, an art, and an experience. It has been practiced since the times humans evolved from hunter-gatherers to settled civilians. It has boosted the economies of many developing countries and provided livelihoods to more than a million. However, in the 18th century, industrialization changed everything. Agriculture changed character from a mere occupation to a business, where exploitation became its core. With growing population concerns, it became important to evolve farming and create something that lasts for generations to come. World leaders came together to ideate, which resulted in the green revolution, the WTO, agriculture policies, subsidies for farming tools and materials, and much more. While it stabilized food production for some years, it created deep-seated issues of soil degradation, immense loss of top soil, chemical exposure, fertilizer contamination, water degradation, and excessive consumption of sources of essential life-giving minerals.
The challenge now is to build systems that support sustainability. While numerous visionary leaders took charge, Scott Hobson, the founder & CEO of Magnify New Zealand LTD, integrated native wisdom and modern farming to lay the foundation of sustainable agriculture that lasts for generations. Scott’s revelation was simple—we either make farming sustainable or we expire. He realised profit, sustainability and lifestyle has to be synergistic.
With an Agricultural science degree coupled with a background in finance, Scott identified potential risks, profit opportunities, and potential gains in modern-day farming that ultimately gave birth to Magnify NZ as a solution. He says … “severe chemical exposure in his mid 20’s lead to first hand knowledge of the devastating impact of ‘supposedly safe’ chemicals, plus the rapid rise in environmental illnesses in modern societies; it was plainly obvious our chemical based mindset had to transform.” His response has been promoting and unlocking the potential of biological farming through Magnify NZ. The current edition brings more of his story, principles, leadership, and Magnify NZ.
Let’s dig deeper to know more!
Sowing the Idea
Ideas turn into innovation when they are supported with the right ingredients. Scott’s company, Magnify NZ, was set up as a result of his trials with fertilizers. It was about 30 years ago, when he was looking at different kinds of fertilizers and digging deeper into research papers. He studied more about nitrogen leaching, chemical and popular fertilizer compounds, and closely observed farm profit dynamics. He found research dating back to the early 1900’s that showed close links between soil bacteria numbers and production.
It became clear that agriculture had become more about chemicals than nature. Though chemicals were supposed to eradicate diseases, they have actually increased disease pressure, arguably affected food safety and entire ecosystems. A series of such realizations paved the way to do something. Scott says that the biggest risk in agriculture is complacency towards making soil more resilient to increased climatic and disease pressure. Both affect the cost of production and yield whether it be crops or animal. Today, Magnify NZ boosts farm profitability and resilience through a variety of bio-ag products. It also addresses pressing challenges like soil degradation, nitrogen leaching, and climate impact.
Magnify NZ has been pivotal in garnering sustainable change in farming over the years. It has helped many farmers retain their enthusiasm, increase their profits, and protect the surrounding environment. Scott’s merging of finance and agriculture has helped farmers be more successful and in turn made Magnify NZ successful and relevant.
The Defining Moment—Biological Farming is the Future
Farming has evolved through the years—from mere plowing to now machines, AI, robots, and more. However, amidst these technological developments, Scott had his ‘eureka moment’ when he realized farming is greater than tools. Good life creates more good life.
He had innoculated the compost in a garden. Upon careful observation and measurement, he noticed “a 30 percent difference in the plants relying on innoculated microbes. The quality differences were chalk and cheese.” This one moment, followed by multiple experiments and some conferences, transformed his thinking on the greater role soil microbes must play in agriculture’s future. He says “my First Nations values would not permit blindness to the deep need to build farming on natural foundations to elevate farm progress and profits.”
Value System behind the Success
Magnify NZ adopts progressive step-by-step principles, not overnight miracles. It was 30 years of relentless hard work—an imagination shaped into reality. However, Scott was not alone. What backed his skills was his strong value system; it motivated him throughout. He always believed in actively developing the gifts he was born with and modelled by his parents. He and his father were the first father-son Olympians in NZ in field hockey. His highschool’s motto was “seek higher things”.
Setting goals throughout seven aspects of life had been Scott’s personal leadership model however debilitating fatigue from chemical poisoning made that very difficult to actualise on a short term basis. For him, work requires attention to detail where small differences create large differences in outcomes; however, after he logs out, he is the lightest version of himself that he can be. A collective value system backed by the motivation to improve constantly and consistently assured Scott’s success at his work as well. Small but progressive steps over the years have culminated in not one but two international publications recognising Magnify NZ as being top in the Ag Bio industry throughout the entire Asia Pacific Region. Better product quality, improved profits, brand recognition – including a top notch professional team – are all part of it.
Principles Over Hacks
A person without principles is one without control. Individuals carry their set of principles to perceive the world and run in it as well. Scott has a similar story. Despite his health challenges, he never succumbed to the chemical and fertiliser industry’s temptations to promote more of the same and add another product that farmers don’t need; he pushed through it.
But how?
The answer is simple—his principles. Scott applied the principles of his First Nations elders at every step. First, carry in your heart the welfare of all the people, respect all living beings and make decisions that will still be good in seven generations’ time. Scott recognized most of what we do in agriculture wasn’t good for even one or two generations and that evidence is clear. As businesses follow the ‘going concern’ concept, products must still be good not just for five years but for 500 years ahead. By including this principle, he has ensured that the business ticks all the boxes (to the best of his knowledge) for the present and future generations.
Secondly, he says carrying in your heart the welfare of all peoples (a broader definition not just limited to human beings) means the benefits of the business are not limited to the farmers; they flow to other biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem as well. Scott says, “It has to flow to animals that are in the world, the creatures in the waters and with wings. Everything is connected and the controlled principles of science can struggle to incorporate this foundational principle in this world. Surely, being a catalyst for the start of the sixth mass extinction event on earth is enough to alter our mindsets in business!”
Other Indigenous principles include acting with courage, generosity and being mindful that our language can heal or destroy. It can destroy individuals, families, and even nations. He recommends everyone to be aligned with the creator of the world—and to cultivate the capacity to listen to wisdom embedded into the world around us. Practicing this principle has helped Scott to clear negativity, frustrations, anxiety, guilt, shame, and all other pileups. He says, “People are innately hungry for more of ‘the good things in life’, but controlling that hunger and how we achieve outcomes is essential, or we will become extinct. We see frustrations and fears growing in future generations, due to the incapacity of current leaders to say no to unwise decisions, which makes inculcating this principle a must.”
Lead to Make a Difference
Having witnessed the fruit of corporate leadership values on the world Scott urges leaders to embrace Indigenous based leadership rather than solely feeding the hunger of shareholders. He remarks, “That’s not leadership, that’s management for rich people. And there’s a difference.” As a leader, he desires to create the biggest possible positive influence. Mistakes should be corrected today so that they do not linger on. He explains this with an example.
He quotes, “Decades ago one of my elders said it was in the 1960s when leaders had the chance to reverse and slow down climate change, but they chose the wrong path. More recently it has been made public that oil companies had the climate science in the 1960’s but chose to spend the money on climate science denial strategies.” They say history repeats itself, and Scott wants to change this by driving from the front – taking personal responsibility for what he can contribute. He says his elders said “we’re entering a time in which you must each think globally and act locally for there to be brighter hope for future generations”.
Unlocking the True Potential
Businesses, profits, deals, and the luxury that comes along might stall anyone without the right mindset and willpower. Scott Hobson’s success tells a different tale. He has always balanced his professional and personal life while staying grounded and humble despite the success he has achieved over the years. He says that being fixated on science could increase manipulation—facts can be twisted. Many scientists do not come up with answers that are future-oriented. I was told by elders to “go sit on the mountain and keep going until your ears are opened”. That meant hearing deeply the world around me. Learning to listen deeply to the communication of my spirit, which most people identify as “gut feelings.” This is right brain development. Gut feelings is a small part of it. Based upon research and proven experiments by researchers like Dr Ian Gilchrist, the activation of the right brain—the creative and wise side—is important to pair with an overly analytical left side to achieve balanced success.
Scott remarks, “Technology is driving left brain dominance with zero wisdom. The right side of the brain is much more involved with interconnection, compassion and wisdom. It is important to realign with this force, it’s part of being a more complete human. We can feel when something is not right, or half right, as science often proves to be. Without presenting detail the right brain can guide a person towards long-term beneficial decisions.” This has helped Scott unlock his true potential and take Magnify NZ to where it is today. He continues, “It’s amazing what God-given talents unfolded by sitting on that mountain decades ago. Through deep listening I have been able to predict when products would work out poorly, good or great and in some cases I knew synthetic technology would have undesirable outcomes over time.”
In addition to managing biological responses, Scott believes that native wisdom is important for businesses and people alike. Too many scientists are complicit in contractual or strategic silence. A good dose of Indigenous courage would be beneficial. He’s convinced the colonial leadership model is proving to be disastrous for the planet and humanity. An Indigenous perspective desperately needs to be added. People should develop intellect and practices for the long term that help them and future generations to thrive, be creative, and focus on more than just short-lived gains and benefits to their own life.
The Next 10 Years for Magnify NZ
The mission is to GROW—10 to 20 times bigger than today. Scott excitedly remarks, “I see Magnify NZ continually growing!” Scott believes in the core idea of the company—nature. After all the regulations, rising living costs, and institutional barriers, people will eventually realise they need products like Magnify NZ, because nobody can beat nature.
However, it is impossible to grow without being relevant. Innovations need to stay practical, trusted, and field-ready for farmers. At Magnify NZ, Scott ensures this by measuring outcomes correctly and accurately. He asserts, “It is important to stay relevant in the game. How do we do it? By getting out and doing the measurements, particularly when developing a new product. It also helps in determining limitations and market competitiveness. The variability of nature challenges everything.” He further adds, “If you’re talking about the biology of soil, it is easy to talk about. It is easy to say, well – we’ve got more biology in the soil. But unless you have the courage to measure the yield gains it can be useless. Therefore, it is essential to measure to stay practical.”
Scott’s vision is to pass on the legacy of Magnify NZ and spread it across the globe—as far as possible. And that requires courage. For Scott, courage was a choice that he had to embrace in order to move forwards in spite of debilitating illness. The interconnectedness of nature provided its own kind of guidance, which Scott embraced through invitational prayer and listening. “I started to see things differently, I found some science supported this new vision of how to do things better while some had incomplete or erroneous conclusions.” Many things were possible that historic science studies had not yet explored. Most science is about not solving something so funding streams continue. I believe leadership is deeply flawed when it places too much emphasis on the volume of science to support future direction. It will almost always harp back to outdated models which place little emphasis on significant change. For this reason, courage is really important in leadership and I think it’s lacking.
Magnify NZ is the brainchild of Scott Hobson, its founder & CEO. The company envisions changing the efficiency of fertilizers through bioproducts. Scott opines, “In contemporary times, fertilizers do not produce any better results than they did 20 years ago. However, the prices, globally, have doubled or tripled. And I want to change the way we look at this and operate—even if it means going a bit out of the box.”
Magnify NZ looks for new products that speak of beneficial revolution. It is necessary, according to Scott, to learn more rather than just going by the books or the corporate functionalities. People engaged with this vision need to focus on the better questions – the how, why, when, where, and what of the problem. This is the work Scott envisions Magnify NZ doing for the upcoming years.
Words of Wisdom
A true leader builds foundations for the present as well as the future. Scott Hobson is one such visionary leader who believes in providing for today and the next seven generations to come. Amidst global uncertainties, leaders and businesses should shoot straight when there’s a problem. Scott advises, “Do not stick your head in the sand. Address the problem with the best. It is necessary for businesses, small or large, to pivot when required so that they can lead the way for future generations.”
Such foundations build the feeling of ‘peace and interconnectedness,’ where values carried by wise and inspiring elders are trickled down to provide the best platform for life-influencing decisions. He aspires to pass on to younger generations the beacon that cultivates transformative farming – not just for profits but for the greater good of society – all while being connected to the organic roots.
