Country Life

Wairarapa sheep farmer Paul Crick is one of hundreds out collecting poo samples from his flock as part of a national study testing for the presence of spores which cause facial eczema in sheep. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . You can find more about the study, here . With thanks to: Paul Crick, Sarah Riddy and Cara Brosnahan Go to this epi...

Two King Country farmers have trained up as drone operators to offer on-farm drone spraying services, a side hustle alongside their traditional farming work. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Mitchel Hoare Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week Country Life gets up close and personal with some of the animals at Massey University's teaching farm and heads to a high country station near Omarama where merino sheep run alongside shorthorn cattle. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . In this episode: 0:32 - Jefferson Fellow Kate Green on the future of food security 11:28 - Rural...

There's a romance attached to living in the Mackenzie High Country, but does it still exist? For Simon Williamson it is the only life he knows. He grew up through the harsh winters and hot summers and loves the challenge of it. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Simon and Kirst Williamson Make sure you’re following us on your...

Set on 40-hectares near the university's Palmertston North campus, the Large Animal Teaching Unit, is home to a menagerie of animals for veterinary students to work with. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Mike Reilly, Professors Jon Huxley and Paul Kenyon Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

RNZ reporter Kate Green has recently returned from parts of Southeast Asia as part of a Jefferson Fellowship exploring food security issues across the region. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Kate Green Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Country Life meets Berwick Settle who's worked on huge dairy farms in Russia and China, joins a shearing gang for a day and finds out about the world of heritage seed saving. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . In this episode: 0:30 - A kiwi's life in the world's largest dairy farms 9:30 - Rural News Wrap 15:23 - From the Archive: Sh...

In this story for the long-running programme Spectrum, first broadcast in 1972, Jack Perkins joins a Wairarapa shearing gang, on a farm near Masterton. It starts at the beginning of a day's shearing, with sounds of sheep in the yards, dogs barking and shepherd's whistling. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Ngā Taonga Sound &a...

There's a story to many of the heritage seedlings which Jemma Ostenfeld grows on a patch of borrowed land in the eastern Bay of Plenty. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Jemma Ostenfeld Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Twenty years ago Berwick Settle was a Southland sharemilker. Since then he's worked in some of the biggest dairy farms in the world, helping set up farms in China and Russia where cows live year round in huge barns, a far cry from New Zealand's pastoral system. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here. With thanks to: Berwick Settle Go to this episod...

This week Country Life learns more about LIC's project to breed bulls which emit less methane, while a Waikato sheep farmer does the same, using genetics to reduce emissions. Also, from the future to the past, step back in time with the volunteers at Eketāhuna Museum. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . In this episode: 0:45 - On the Farm 8:17...

Volunteers at the Eketāhuna Museum are getting ready to reopen. This treasure chest of curiosities shines a light on the small town's Scandinavian heritage and the challenges of running a country museum. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . You can read more about the Eketāhuna Museum, here . With thanks to: Bruce Laurence, Chris Petersen, Ian...

Alastair Reeves has followed in his father's footsteps, using genetics to help farmers solve problems on farm by breeding sheep that make for good eating, are tolerant of facial eczema and emit lower amounts of methane. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . You can learn more about Waimai Romney, here . With thanks to: Alastair Reeves Go to this...

The team of scientists at LIC, the Livestock Improvement Corporation, hope to know by late next year if they can offer farmers more methane-friendly bulls. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . You can learn more about LIC, here . With thanks to: Dr Lorna McNaughton Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A wrap of conditions on farms and orchards around the country. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week Country Life meets some characterful Clydesdale horses, finds out about the Waimate Trail, explores rural life through objects via a new book and heads to threatened Thornton Lagoon in Bay of Plenty. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . In this episode: 0:44 - Rural News Wrap 8:06 - Kiwi Country: New book explores rural New Zealand th...

They used to be a regular sight on New Zealand's roads and paddocks - the plodding but magnificent Clydesdales. The horses with the hobbit hooves are becoming rare and their personality, dignity and legacy have inspired Susie Izard and her daughter Cate Smith to help save the breed. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Suzie Iza...

Ben Banks is trying to protect the fragile dunes, wildlife and vegetation at a coastal lagoon near Whakatāne. Volunteering his time, he and his family trap for predators and pests but there's another threat to the area - the four-wheeled kind. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Ben Banks Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for mor...

Husband and wife duo Te Radar and Ruth Spencer have recently partnered together on a new book 'Kiwi Country: Rural New Zealand in 100 Objects'. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . With thanks to: Ruth Spencer and Te Radar One lucky listener can win a copy of the book - tell us the type of milkshed invented in New Zealand. Email country@rnz.co....

Volunteers are nearing completion of the first leg of a new trail for walkers, runners and cyclists in South Canterbury, the 67km Waimate Trail which will pass through native forest, limestone rock formations, tussock tops, river flats and valleys. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here . You can find more about the project and track its progress,...

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week Country Life talks to researchers who say there’s potential for the brown kiwi to become a pest patroller in orchards and vineyards. Mark Leishman pulls on his Country Life gumboots to meet an entrepreneur behind an intriguing gateway made of the toughest timber – ironbark, and a visit to a Waikato farming family who’ve been integrating robotics and automation into their dairy operation....