Her lips slowly curve, and she sits up a little on the sofa. “Okay. Well, at Blackridge Station, I’ve introduced deeper-rooting species like plantain and chicory alongside traditional ryegrass and clover, tailored to each section of land.”
My eyebrows rise. “And?”
“The result has been stronger root systems, improved soil structure, and better drought resilience. And it’s increased pasture productivity by twenty-five percent so we can run more stock on the same land.”
My eyes nearly fall out of my head. “Twenty-five percent?” Holy fuck. That’s crazy.
Her face lights up at the realization that I understand how impressive it is. “I know. It’s so exciting. We have treated and untreated paddocks side by side. I’ll show you tomorrow, if you like. On the treated ones, the grass is thicker and denser, and it holds moisture better. So with the same rainfall, and the same conditions, the treated paddocks have vastly improved results.”
I sit up and put my mug down. “Have you got data to back that up?”
She nods and picks up the pile of folders from the table. She rifles through them, pulls one out, and begins to leaf through it. “Here.” She moves closer to me, on the middle cushion, and shows me a printout of test results.
I pore over it slowly, taking another piece of chocolate as I study the figures. It shows readings taken six times a day over a period of twenty-four months, including soil moisture, temperature, and sunlight, and they show a clear improvement over that time.
I stare at her, astonished. “You’ve been working on this for two years?”
“Yeah… It was the focus of my PhD. The solar-powered sensor units are fantastic, but I also come here as often as I can to test the soil myself. You can see my own results in blue.” She points to the figures. Over that same two-year period,she’s taken her own readings dozens of times, proving that the readings from the solar units are spot on.
“What are these figures?”
“That’s the nitrogen level.”
“That’s impressive. How do you know what section of land it refers to?”
“By the letter in this column.” She points to it, then pulls out a packet from the back and unfolds it. It’s a map of Blackridge and shows the paddocks divided into a grid system. Each square is marked with a letter. It’s neat and diligent. She knows her stuff.
I ask her more questions about the way she’s divided up the paddocks, and she shows me which ones she’s used her soil restoration system on, and which are untreated. The difference in results is remarkable.
Eventually, I lower the map, lean back, and look at her, stunned. “Maddie… for fuck’s sake…”
She blinks. “What?”
“Why the hell didn’t you talk about this at the board meeting?”
She scratches her nose. “I gave you the results in the folder. In the… um… appendix.”
I glanced at the pages explaining the AI system with their flashy photos and tossed the folder in the wastepaper bin. I didn’t even look at the appendix. “But this should have been what Tom led with. It’s real science, Maddie, not froth. This is very, very impressive.”
She blushes. “Thank you. But… um… the important thing is that Verdant helps us predict future outcomes, and…” Her voice trails off as I shake my head.
“Don’t try to misdirect me,” I say softly. “I don’t care about Verdant. This,” and I tap the folder, “is what I’m interested in.”
She’s absolutely glowing. “Imagine what we could do if we were to integrate this technology into your pasture management system. It could mean a thirty percent increased yield, right across the board.”
I look at her sparkling eyes, her rosy cheeks, and my heart rate increases. “I thought you said this wasn’t sexy.”
She giggles, and it’s such a gorgeous sound that it makes me smile, too. “Agricultural science turns you on?” she teases.
“Every time.” I grin.
We’re sitting very close together now, our thighs brushing. I turn a little and lift my arm to rest on the back of the sofa, almost around her. She looks up at me, but doesn’t move away. My gaze slides to her lips.
“I’m tempted to do what your T-shirt says,” I murmur.
She giggles again. “I said you should ask me about my soil microbes.”
“I’ll make sure to handle your samples with extreme care…”
