Country Life

One of the last rehab soldier farms in Wairarapa has been sold for forestry, and the farm gear is going under the hammer. Gianina Schwanecke is at the on-farm sale and finds out why the owner is selling up.

Duration:00:19:15

A love for Clydesdales - 'they just become your mates'

Steve Muggeridge's beloved Clydesdales have returned to Taranaki. Not far from the original family stud, at the base of the maunga, he chats about the changing use of the heavy horse and hitches a pair up to a vintage wagon for a ride along the mountain's flanks.

Duration:00:16:51

Rural News Wrap

A round-up of the week's agricultural news.

Duration:00:05:42

Support on hand for RSE staff at Tasman orchard

Panadda Chittock is the pastoral care co-ordinator at Thomas Brothers Orchards in Riwaka. She supports about 80 Recognised Seasonal Employer or RSE workers from Vanuatu and Samoa who work on the orchard.

Duration:00:07:18

Country Life for Friday 26 April 2024

This week Country Life is behind a team of Clydesdale horses on a vintage wagon, finding out about the increasingly rare breed, and heads to a sale of farm gear in Wairarapa, where one of the last local rehab soldier farms has been sold into forestry.

Duration:00:50:52

Mt Taranaki ranger Tāne Houston - 'we let the forest talk for itself'

Country Life takes a walk with mountain ranger Tāne Houston through the forest on the slopes of Mt Taranaki. We head up the volcano along a trap line, resetting bait, foraging and chatting about the progress made in restoring the landscape.

Duration:00:22:01

'She's got everything you want in a cow'

A 40-litres-of-milk-a-day Friesian called Evie has been Supreme Champion Holstein at the New Zealand A&P Agricultural Show for two years in a row. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes meets the farmer behind the cow.

Duration:00:13:16

The diverse experiences of farming

A lot of urban dwellers get their information about farming from supermarkets, new research suggests. A Massey University research project surveyed over 1300 urban and rural people about their views on farming.

Duration:00:06:43

Rural News Wrap

This year's annual Canterbury A&P show has been canned, while there's mixed results at the meatworks where venison sales have bounced back but lamb prices remain at historical lows, and new research suggests growing demand for alternative proteins could change the future of farming.

Duration:00:08:31

Country Life for Friday April 19 2024

This week Country Life is out with a mountain ranger foraging and checking traps on the slopes of Mt Taranaki and meets the farmer behind a champion milker. Also, a Massey University research project reveals what New Zealanders really think about farming.

Duration:00:51:11

Research showcased at food, farming and freshwater roadshow

Farmers and growers around the country have been getting together to hear about research which might help New Zealand agriculture adapt to future challenges.

Duration:00:23:28

Rural Riders spins farmers' wheels - 'I smile a lot here'

Rural Riders is a chance for farmers to get off the farm on a bike, spin some yarns and focus on the dips and the jumps rather than the weather and the milk price.

Duration:00:10:04

Rural News Wrap

A round-up of the week's agricultural news with RNZ rural news reporter Sally Murphy.

Duration:00:06:54

Eric Fa'anoi - a view from both sides of the fence

Eric Fa'anoi has gone from helping farmers protect the environment to being a farmer himself. A visit to his ancestral village in Samoa also helped this young man from Porirua unearth his interest in agriculture.

Duration:00:07:28

Country Life for Friday 12 April 2024

This week on Country Life, farmers and growers around the country have been getting together to hear about research which might help New Zealand agriculture adapt to future challenges. The team also catches up with Rural Riders, a group of farmers taking some much needed time off-farm by mountain biking.

Duration:00:50:16

From techie to market gardener - 'Getting made redundant really pushed me'

Morgan Kane moved back home when she lost her job at a tech start up. It was the start of her move, with her husband, into market gardening. She and her parents welcome the advantages of multigenerational living and the chance to put a large lifestyle block of rich Taranaki soil into production.

Duration:00:21:38

Sheds and cupboards cleaned out for Banks Peninsula fundraiser

Every year on Easter Saturday, unwanted bric-a-brac goes under the hammer at a huge Paddy's Market and White Elephant in Akaroa. It's run by the Akaroa and Bays Lions Club, which raises thousands of dollars for the local community

Duration:00:14:45

Brothers turn rivals as they compete for top farmer title

Brothers Callum and Archie Woodhouse have been named the top two finalists in this year's East Coast Young Farmer of the Year competition. We catch up with the siblings as they prepare for the next round of the competition.

Duration:00:05:44

On the Farm - a wrap of conditions around the country

Rain is still needed in many parts of the country. Hay and baleage is being trucked around to ensure stock get the feed they need. The grape harvest is well through in Central Otago with good yields and clean fruit.

Duration:00:06:39

Country Life for Friday 5 April 2024