An EcoFarmer’s Discovery Chapter 16: The Problem of Success
The EcoFarm Aotearoa Podcast

This episode covers Chapter 16 and unpacks what happens when innovation works too well. Ewan reflects on the rise of Probitas, the backlash that followed its success, and the systems that move to shut down ideas that threaten entrenched interests.

In This Episode:Ewan shares the personal and professional fallout of challenging the fertiliser industry and regulatory system, including court cases, media manipulation, fear-based enforcement, and the misuse of “false and misleading representation” laws. The conversation reveals how innovation, when it disrupts powerful industries, can trigger intimidation rather than investigation.

This chapter explores how fear is used to control farmers, suppress discovery, and protect billion-dollar systems at the expense of soil health, food quality, and rural communities. From patents and expert witnesses to search warrants and media pressure, Ewan breaks down how the system operates and how farmers can begin to push back.

We explore:

• Why successful innovation attracts resistance, not support

• How fear keeps farmers compliant and isolated

• The misuse of regulation, courts, and “expert” authority

• What Probitas revealed about soil, electricity, and biology

• Why standing your ground matters for farming’s future

This episode is about courage over compliance, discovery over fear, and why the future of farming depends on farmers understanding both their land and the systems that govern it.

Follow along. Watch full episodes on YouTube and Spotify Video.

Useful links:
• Learn more at EcoFarm Aotearoa (efa.nz)

Our FREE E-Book:
https://www.ecofarmaotearoa.nz/download-our-ebook/

Listen to An EcoFarmer’s Discovery:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3wIgUUghlsKIje76E5tjBA?si=7f68bd8183ea46ae