Susan Murray

In the North Island calves are arriving thick and fast but in Southland, cows are still coming home from winter grazing. Audio

Mairead Fox has won the national women's gumboot throwing title and is off to compete in Italy. Audio

Rain is needed all over the North Island, it threatens to arrive but never does, while in the South Island at last there's relief for Marlborough with good rainfall, and parts of the West Coast is… Audio

Northland's summer has been a cracker compared to last year's, and South Canterbury's Opuha Dam has dried up. Audio

It is dry everywhere, many regions are desperate for rain. The Otago Regional Council is asking the Government to call for a state-of-drought declaration. Audio

Three hail storms in Hawkes Bay have damaged apple crops and in the South Island Marlborough is bone dry while Wyndham's A and P Show is cancelled due to the wet conditions. Audio

Sheep Heaven is a lifestyle block near Hamilton. Four years ago a foundation flock of ten ewes was purchased and over time the ups and downs of farming them and their off spring have been reported… Audio

The difficulty securing workers in the agriculture and horticulture sector is also hitting the racing industry. Some trainers say in 20-years, 80-percent of training stables in this country will be… Audio

Strong winds have battered most regions of New Zealand and the wind, along with intermittent rain, have delayed docking on both North and South Island farms. Audio

Northland and the East Coast received rain they didn't need, Horowhenua and Bay of Plenty didn't get rain they needed, otherwise most other North Island regions received welcome moisture, while the… Audio

A cold nasty snap hit the North Island at the week's end, while in the South the West Coast is sodden. Audio

Anders Crofoot is Federated Farmers vice president. He came to New Zealand from USA, 16 years ago. He puts his view on the foreign ownership of New Zealand land debate. Audio

Frosty conditions have been experienced in many regions this week. South Island farmers are preparing for a polar blast from Saturday. Audio

It's so wet in Northland that milk tankers are needing to be towed onto some dairy farms, while in the South Island some early lambs and calves are on the ground. Audio

It's been very wet around the North Island and in the South farmers are recovering from last week's heavy rain. Audio

Kiwifruit harvesting's on the homeward stretch in the North Island, while in both islands dairy herds are drying off. Audio

In 2010 devastating bacterial disease PSA hit kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand, initially just in Bay Of Plenty but now it's in nearly every growing region pretty well wiping out, in particular, the… Audio

It's exceedingly wet in many North Island regions and in the South Island prime stock's moving into processing and there's a good demand for stores. Audio