Country Life

Alison Watson has extensive international experience dealing with the fall army worm which can wipe out crops. The pest was found in Tauranga and near Hamilton this month. She heads ASEAN's fall armyworm action plan in south-east Asia.

Gisborne vegetable growers are sick of being blamed for food price hikes which means people are chosing less healthy food options, and grass growth in mid and south Canterbury is exceptional for this time of year.

Central Otago fencing contractor Scott Watson is a busy man. He says more and more farmers are calling on him to do their fencing because they no longer have time to do the work themselves. The Ranfurly man also leases 170 hectares near Gimmerburn where he runs sheep and cattle.

Country Life is drinking coffee in Northland and, at 60 dollars for 130 grams it makes a cup of coffee a tad more than even the recently talked about $7 cup. There's gritty determination from a farmer who's returned to Ukraine to plant crops, and an expert on the fall army worm talks about the destructive pest.

Jennifer and David Rodrigue have a small herd of bell-wearing goats at their Waipu farm. The goats browse on trees, shrubs and grass and produce milk that's transformed into award winning cheese.

Sheep with fur - not wool - are among the latest trials being undertaken by one of New Zealand's top breeders Derek Daniell of Wairere Stud, who is at the forefront of trends in sheep rearing.

Little has changed inside Gilchrist's Store in Oturehua since it first opened in 1902. New goods share the old shelves with retail collectables dating back to the turn of the century. Helen and John Hellier are the third owners to lease the store and building off the local farming community, who are keen to keep it open for business.

The East Coast suffered more slips and roading damage from former Cyclone Fili, but nearly all other regions of New Zealand would rather welcome some rain - just not too much.

Full Episode for Friday April 14 2022 - Belle Chevre Creamery, sheep with hair and a visit to a store brimming with history and the Regional Wrap.....

Tom Oskam has built mountain bike trails in Australia and Canada and has returned to his family land on the Whanganui River to create tracks through the regenerating forest. The old woolshed is now used for fixing up bikes, the sheep dip's a shower and the former stockyards under the trees are a pleasant spot for MTB enthusiasts to cool down after a day on the trails.