Agriculture

Watermelon farmers in Tonga have shed tears of joy over the announcement their exports would be allowed into New Zealand again, on a trial basis. Audio

Danish government experts have announced the country will eliminate its entire population of farmed minks after mutated coronavirus strains were reported among the animals. And it is set to ravage… Audio

Twenty-three year old Heather Gee-Taylor is one of New Zealand's youngest local body politicians and a charolais cattle breeder to boot. Audio

Former pilots, cafe workers and ex sales people are just some of those looking at a career in agriculture after Covid-19 disrupted their lives. Country Life spent a day with the budding beekeepers… Audio, Gallery

It is thought humans started consuming dairy products around 4500 years ago, during the Neolithic period when we started living alongside animals - however, we didn't always have the stomach for it. 

James Griffiths works as an independent sustainability advisor in Geneva and is more than happy with his lot, despite the high cost of living and the fact he still misses his fellow countrymen and… Audio

Tapanui farmer Mark Tiller came across the Speckle Park cattle breed several years ago while managing a dairy farm. Now he's breeding the cattle full time under the Aniwaniwa Stud name. Speckle Park… Audio

Dr Jessica Hutchings, (Ngai Tahu, Gujarati), is an organic farmer, yoga teacher and "recovering" academic who's written books on Maori food security. She has been a leader of the hua parakore or Maori… Audio

Agro-ecologist Nicole Masters is living her dream out of a horse truck in the US helping ranchers and croppers shift mindsets to improve their soils and become more resilient. Audio

A micro-farming movement in the Hutt Valley is helping to feed hundreds of local people. Urban Kai set up by The Common Unity Project involves keen gardeners, state house tenants and inmates at… Video, Audio

After making wine around the globe, Grant Phelps was lured to Chile by the country's fifth richest man to run his winery. Eventually Grant branched out on his own to make his boutique wine in the… Audio

Philip Guscott specialises in farm succession planning for sheep and beef farmers. As he heads towards retirement, he shares some of the advice he's been giving for the past 35 years. Audio

The Wairarapa Eco Farm was ahead of its time, the first Community Supported Agriculture venture where people paid in advance for a season's produce. One of the first to sign up was photographer Ann… Audio, Gallery

Waikato farmers and horticulturalists fear Auckland's water shortage will ultimately divert resources away from their operations and affect food supplies. The Government has fast-tracked Watercare… Audio

Wilencote Polled Herefords introduced the hornless Hereford breed to New Zealand back in the 1920s and the Humphreys family still runs the stud today, with the fifth generation waiting in the wings… Audio, Gallery

Whitford dairy farmer Donald Pearson bequeathed his dairy farm and all its cows to New Zealand Young Farmers. There are plans to build an education centre on the farm so that children from nearby… Audio

Michael Hemmingsen is one half of the two person team in the Philosophy programme at the University of Guam. He, wife Mariko and son Aki have lived on the tropical island for two and a half years and… Audio

Our guest on the 90s file this week is keen to tell stories about farming and its people, despite ructions to the media landscape. Audio

Three Minutes Max, succinct opinions from Kiwis on topics of their choice. Associate Professor Sara Walton from Otago University's Business School shares her thoughts on the 'next normal' and building… Audio

Feilding lost its usual Friday bustle during the Covid-19 lockdown with the historic stockyards closed and the farmers' market shuttered. But it came to life again last week when the lockdown lifted… Audio, Gallery