In striving to eliminate the negative environmental and animal health consequences of using common plastic bale wrapping, Southland farmer Grant Lightfoot had his own lightbulb moment when he began to think of sustainable, practical solutions. The lightbulb was switched on when he was deep under the water in a submersible chamber, working as a deep-sea diver worldwide on rigs. Spending many hours in this space afforded Grant the time to let his mind wander to a farming problem he had long wanted to address. When Grant talks about his journey inventing Kiwi Econet, a 100% inner-bale wrapping made of jute, his enthusiasm is palpable.
“I had long been concerned about the impact the plastic wrap had on animal health when ingested. It’s terrible to see an animal having to be put down because it’s got plastic wrapping inside its stomach. When I hit upon the idea of using a natural product, my first thoughts turned to hemp; however, it can’t be used in the States, so my thoughts turned to jute, a totally natural plant product,” Grant explains.
It would seem the world has been waiting for this wonder material to be applied to baling wrap, but the journey from idea to product innovation, testing and marketing required a good degree of stoic determination; a quality Grant has in abundance. With support from his partner Colleen, he found a way to knit up a pioneering 50 metres of jute into netting, then went out and assigned the precious prototype to the baler. The machine accepted the netting without any problem and presto!, a product the world had seemingly been waiting for was born.
Southland farmer Grant Lightfoot with Prince William at the Groundswell Agricultural Festival.
“I had no idea, all those months ago, when Kiwi Econet ideas began to blossom, that it would lead to this whole new business.”
At the 2024 Southern Field Days event at Waimumu, Kiwi Econet took out the Southern Rural Life Innovation Award, proving that this wonder invention held real traction for its potential within the sector. Wind forward a year, and Grant’s just returned from a whirlwind trip to Switzerland and on to England, where he had the great fortune to rub shoulders with Prince William, a keen farmer and environmentalist, at the Groundswell Agricultural Festival.
“This was a case of being determined enough to make sure I had the opportunity to say hello to the Prince. Though surrounded by media and security, I made a beeline for him and said hello!” What followed was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter to explain to Prince William what Kiwi Econet could do and, especially, what it meant. “I couldn’t believe my luck, but I also made sure it happened,” Grant says.
Now, he has orders streaming in from around the world, returning from overseas with orders to fill nine shipping containers of edible baleage. “That’s the beauty of this baling. It can be eaten by the animals without any harmful impact. I’ve sourced a factory in India to make the netting, and at a local level, farmers here have ordered the equivalent of ten 40-foot containers worth. It’s been quite unbelievable the response so far.”
Along with meeting Prince William, on the same trip, Grant also visited Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, where producers of his TV show declared real interest in featuring Kiwi Econet in a future programme. Fitting in trips to engage with farmers overseas, along with running his deer farm at Orepuki, near Riverton in Southland, as well as a dairy unit, has been something of a juggling act.
“I had no idea, all those months ago, when Kiwi Econet ideas began to blossom, that it would lead to this whole new business. It’s very exciting and, if response from the market is anything to go by, it’s a huge win-win moment for farmers, animals and the environment alike.”
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