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Country Life headlines with summaries.
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Adventure trails and organic garden add X-factor to family farm
In the last few years, Tom O'Brien's Southland farmland has become home to a hand-built bike and hiking track and an organic market garden.
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Southland farmer caught on the hop
Harvesting is about to get underway at Garston Hops which has gone from traditional sheep farming to a two tier operation with big plans afoot.
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Country Life for 17 March 2023
NZ's southernmost hop farm, a small town business which has it all in the bag, an online trapping network tightens the net on pests and the ag news wrap with Maja Burry.
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Trappers unite over the net
Amid the shiny tractors, new sheep breeds and delicious smelling spit roast at the Central Districts Fieldays in Feilding this weekend, was a stand featuring different types of pest traps. People were…
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How a freezer kickstarted a 50 year career in bag-making
Nearly 50 years ago, Dan Hickman swapped a freezer for a sewing machine. These days, you won't find many people in Otorohanga that aren't proud owners of a colourful Danzbagz bag.
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A smooth roll for Kihikihi
Kihikihi Bowling Club has said goodbye to their mower and hello to a vacuum cleaner. Their new carpet green has doubled the clubs membership proving a smooth roll plays an important role in the…
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Rush of Jack Russells in Wānaka
Get your collars ready - a rush of Jack Russells are about to race through Wānaka. The annual K9 Natural Jack Russell Race is an undisputed highlight of the Central Otago town's two-day A&P show and…
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Country Life for Friday 10 March 2023
Country Life meets ag-entrepreneur Edwin Mabonga who also takes beautiful photos of Southland and drops in on a Wairarapa apple orchard throwing open its gates for a touch of nostalgia.
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Crunch-time for Greytown apple orchard
It's a return to the old days for the Cooke family of Greytown who are inviting people to come with their buckets and baskets to pick their own apples fresh off the tree. It's been a struggle for…
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A bigger picture - dairy farmer discovers landscape photography
Capturing beautiful South Island landscapes is more than just a hobby for agricultural entrepreneur and aspiring mushroom-grower Edwin Mabonga.
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Country Life for 3 March 2023
On Country life this week, a Southland farmer who has a knack of bonding with cows, the hidden treasures in caves on a Waitomo farm, a kaumātua who educates farm leaders on the importance of…
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Lou Lou the Cow Whisperer
Cows are Laura Murdoch's passion. She shares her everyday interactions with them on Facebook and Tiktok and some of her Cow Whisperer videos have racked up quite a few views.
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Stubbs Farm protecting the future through windows to the past
3 Mar 2023With over 800 acres of protected land on the farm, Ben Stubbs shares the hidden treasures deep in caves that motivate him to never make the same mistake.
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Mad about Mahinga Kai
Karl Russell has been gathering food from local rivers all his life and has witnessed the decline in water quality. Now he educates farm leaders on the importance of protecting the waterways for…
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One step at a time for fruit growers who face uncertain future
Orchardist Lesley Wilson and her family plan the next steps for their apple growing operation after a traumatic escape from flood waters.
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Farm kitchens fire up in wake of cyclone
The Greer family kitchen is headquarters to a group which is no stranger to dealing with hard times in rural communities. The Collective Hug, sparked by Hawkes Bay's 2020 drought, is on fire again -…
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Black Hawk Up - fixing fences and feeding stock
Light planes and helicopters are among the workhorses helping in the cyclone recovery effort. Hundreds of kilometres of farm fences need fixing and donated feed is leaving as fast as it's being…
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Country Life for 24 February 2023
Country life meets some of the people doing the mahi to help cyclone-ravaged Hawkes Bay including those feeding people, fixing fences, choppering in supplies and dishing out feed for stock. And the…
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Rural News Wrap
RNZ's rural news reporter, Sally Murphy, takes a look at the week's agricultural news dominated by the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle.
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Cyclone aftermath: Keeping tabs on mental wellbeing a top priority
25 Feb 2023The Rural Support Trust is planning support hubs in remote places for those farmers and growers impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
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New direction for traditional farm
From regenerative agriculture and Japanese beef cattle to solar panels that run the irrigation pumps, Ryan Cockburn is changing the farming landscape on his grandparents farm near Ashburton.
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Country Life for Friday 17 February
Country Life visits a regenerative farm near Ashburton farming wagyu beef and hears some of the harrowing stories from rural areas hard hit by Cyclone Gabrielle. The show takes you onto the Heaphy…
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Rural news wrap
RNZ's rural news reporter, Maja Burry, takes a look at the week's agricultural news which is dominated of course by the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
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Guiding on the Heaphy Track
Angus McKenzie has spent the past ten years as a guide on the Heaphy Track in the Kahurangi National Park in the northwest corner of the South Island.
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