Bringing Dog back to the paddock: Ravensdown meets Footrot Flats

Ravensdown chief executive Garry Diack. Footrot Flats has been part of kiwi culture since it was created by Murray Ball in the 1970s. Supplied.

After several tough seasons in the agriculture sector, there’s a sense things are finally turning, says Garry Diack, Ravensdown chief executive.

“We’re a bit of a cork in the tide of farmer fortunes. When the fortunes are going well, so do we. The long-term outlook for sheep and beef has given a bit more confidence to the sales process around fertiliser. The weather’s been a bit of a problem, but in reality, there’s growth everywhere. So, it should be a good season for our farmers, which is great.”

That cautious optimism forms the backdrop to Ravensdown’s new collaboration with Footrot Flats – the iconic New Zealand comic strip created by Murray Ball.

Set on a small sheep farm, it follows the dry humour of farmer Wal and his loyal (and often wiser) Dog, capturing everyday farm life with warmth, honesty and sharp Kiwi wit. For decades, the strip reflected the realities of rural New Zealand  -  from weather and stock to isolation and resilience -  earning its place in homes, sheds and smoko rooms across the country.

The collaboration brings together two long-standing rural icons, with the aim of reconnecting farmers with a bit of humour, familiarity, and shared experience.

The idea came from Ravensdown’s marketing team, prompted by a wider conversation about identity and longevity.

“We’re coming up for our 75th anniversary in a couple of years,” Diack says. “We’re a long-standing entity in New Zealand farming. There’s pressure all around farming right now, including questions about the role of co-operatives. But the essence of a good co-operative will always be here if things are managed well.

“We want to get across to our shareholders - current and future - that this is a stable business that will always be here.”

Just as importantly, he says, they wanted to bring some lightness back into the sector.

“It’s been hard work the last three or four years. We wanted to get a bit more joy back into it all.”

With that brief, the team started thinking differently.

“They came up with the idea : why don’t we track down Footrot Flats and see where it’s at? The alignment between Dog, all those seasons we confront, and all the fun bits of farming is right on brief.”

The result is a licensing arrangement that allows Ravensdown to use Footrot Flats characters across its brand and communications.

“It brings two old iconic brands together and puts a bit more joy back into life.”

Why Footrot Flats still matters

Diack believes Footrot Flats has endured because it captured the basics of farm life better than anything else.

“At the end of the day it’s still about the paddock, the farm gate, the gumboot and the weather,” he says.

“That’s what Footrot Flats captured more than anything else — the basic simple things farmers run every day. They take risks with the weather, the ability to grow stuff, and they enjoy it.”

He recalls studying farmer motivation while completing his master’s degree in industrial organisational psychology.

“There’s a model that basically says if you get paid a lot, you work harder. When I researched this with farmers and farm workers across New Zealand, the model broke down.

“What motivates farmers more than anything else is lifestyle and commitment to the land:  intrinsic things that money doesn’t supersede. It’s about joy on the farm. That’s what Footrot Flats always captured really well.”

For Diack, that thinking closely mirrors Ravensdown’s own origins.

“How does a company stay New Zealand-owned and do the best deal for farmers? That’s always been our question.”

Inside the farm gate

Diack draws a clear distinction between co-operatives operating inside the farm gate and those outside it.

“Outside-the-farm-gate co-operatives buy product from farmers and sell it into markets. Inside-the-farm-gate co-operatives have a day-to-day relationship with farmers.”

Ravensdown sits firmly in that inside-the-farm-gate space.

“Whether you buy all your feed at once or bit by bit, fence posts all at once or when needed -  farmers have a relationship with the people providing the products and services that allow them to be successful.

“We’re that internal partnership that helps farmers do the best they can as true farmers of the land. The outside companies go to market and do battle. With us, we’re partners on the day to day.”

That distinction mattered when approaching the family of Footrot Flats creator Murray Ball.

“It wasn’t a lay-down-the-zero situation. We had to sit down and explain who we are -that we’re farmer-owned. If we’d been a private equity-driven commercial entity, this wouldn’t have gone anywhere.”

Diack says the family wanted reassurance the characters wouldn’t simply be commercially exploited.

“We said this is another way Murray’s humour and insights can live on alongside the people he was targeting. They liked the fact we’re a co-operative and any benefit goes back to farmers. Murray’s wife was very much part of the decision-making.

“We had to pass the down-to-earth test and the non-commercial exploitation test.”

Leaning into the season

Asked what Wal might make of farming today, Diack laughs.

“It’d just be another bad season. You confront it. If it’s raining, you lean into it. If it’s hot, you put the sunhat on and keep moving.”

He believes farmers have adapted quickly after several challenging years.

“We’re in a good period for farming right now. We’ve adapted and learned after the last three or four years. Farmers are getting smarter with money and technology. They’re making stronger demands on suppliers for real solutions, not just flashy stuff.”

And, he says, that ability to keep moving matters.

“We’re leaning into the nor’wester  so to speak. That’s what Wal would say. You lean into it, because the next season will soon be upon us.”

Staying connected

For Diack, the Footrot Flats collaboration is about more than branding.

“The two messages we push internally are: co-operatives owned by farmers will do okay if we stay in touch with farmers. What they want from their co-operative is what we have to deliver. When that insight gets lost, that’s when things unravel.”

He also sees it as a way to connect with the next generation.

 “Most farmers retiring now were around when Ravensdown was formed. They knew why it was created. The next generation needs a reason to support a co-operative.

“Our focus is giving them that reason - through culture, approach and services that meet what farmers need today.”

And that work, he says, is ongoing.

“We’re doing it every day.”