Pasture
Still farming, just doing it differently
Country Life meets former dairy farmer Lance Gillespie, who's launching a kiwi style chicken trailer. Pasture-raised egg production fits with his interest in regenerative farming practices and… Video, Audio
Gravy with your grassburger, madam?
Can dairy farmers be tempted to put aside some of their pasture for human digestible protein? New Zealand scientists have developed the technology but how would it work in the paddock? Audio
Midweek Mediawatch: John Key's media takeover
In this week's Midweek Mediawatch Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about John Key's media blitz, dueling Covid recovery plans - and some change-making stories from Metro and RNZ. Audio
Sowing the seeds of Success
Rangiora's Luisetti Seeds' warehouses, seed clearing facilities and silos are a constant reminder to locals of the town's long agricultural history. The family business was established by Vincent… Audio
Sowing the Seeds for Sweeter Pastures
UK seed company Germinal has been supplying our farmers with clovers and grasses for the past 15 years. Dairy farmer and agronomist Sarah Gard is general manager of its New Zealand operations. The… Audio
It Starts with the Soil
Growing a variety of tall plants with deeper roots and not overgrazing are two key principles for South Otago grazing coach Siobhan Griffin. She is working with Tony and Michelle Pringle who run a… Audio
Fixing up farms after the flooding
The clean-up continues for farmers whose land was flooded by the Mataura River in Southland. Jon Pemberton had 20 hectares of land under water at Brydone. When it receded he was left with a metre of… Audio
Farming with the future in mind
A fourth-generation Canterbury dairy farmer is embracing regenerative agriculture. John says soil health on his Leeston property has improved dramatically since he stopped using synthetic fertilisers… Audio
Rearing to go: the West Coast dairy farm in full swing
The busy calving season is in full swing at Mark and Debbie Van Beek's dairy farm near Hokitika on the West Coast. The 50/50 sharemilkers, who run 500 cows, were finalists for in this year's Ahuwhenua… Audio
Forage Herbs for Farms
Ruapuna farmers Grant and Jan Early are working with Dairy NZ on a six-year research project to reduce nitrate leaching from soil and degrading water quality. Audio
Down to earth: the benefits of biological farming
The cornerstone of soil consultant Rob Flynn's philosophy is that agriculture is a biological system, not a chemical system. One of his clients is North Canterbury farmer Russell Rudd, who has been… Audio
Eco System Engineers
AgResearch scientist Nicole Schon works wonders with worms. Her research shows a healthy worm population can promote pasture growth as well as help water move through soils. As part of her work she… Audio
Knock Out The Needle
Marlborough farmer Tim Struthers has spent several years trying to control Chilean Needle Grass on his sheep and beef farm near Seddon. The invasive weed can out-compete pasture grasses and its seed… Audio
Model Milking
The Lincoln University Dairy Farm is operated by the South Island Dairying Development Centre and is run as a fully-commercial demonstration farm. The focus for the 2015/16 season is to increase… Audio
Fieldwork in Tibet
A team of Lincoln University scientists are conducting a sustainable grasslands research programme on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau. The team is led by soil scientist Dr Jim Moir. Audio
Diary of a Dairy Farmer: Re-grassing
Sharemilker Andrew McPherson is drilling seed on his Waikato dairy farm. He re-grasses a portion of the farm each year but is finding more and more land looks like it needs a fresh lot of seed because… Audio
Food for Thought
When Bruce and Denise McGill began farming organically 30 years ago they found that stock were just as healthy and production levels could be maintained, but they quickly learnt that the organic… Audio
Science of stony soils and water
There are a million hectares of stony soils in New Zealand - and scientists are using lysimeters to measure how water and cow urine move through them Audio
The Bottom Line
Two generations of the Craw family farm together on a collection of seven blocks of coastal hill country on the north eastern reaches of Banks Peninsula. Their passion and farming expertise has been… Audio