Country Life

Farmers in the far north have had to get their wet weather gear out this week and pruning has started on orchards and vineyards.

Country Life this week talks to workers who've switched to dairying from quite different careers and love the farming life. In The 90s File we speak to Riley Kennedy who is keen to tell stories about farming and its people. We also visit a free range chook farm in Leeston and Laura Beck tells us why she prefers homekill on the farm to sending her cattle to an abattoir.

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. Country Life went along to see how producers, growers, farmers and stock agents have been faring.

New Zealand's live lobster industry is worth about $320 million annually, much of it sold to China. However, back on January 24 exports came to a halt when China shut down its Chinese New Year celebrations and closed restaurants as the coronavirus spread. Andrew Harvey from the Fiordland Lobster Company says things are looking up now that flights carrying live lobsters have resumed but he says the industry is monitoring whether China will be affected by a second wave of infections.

Originally from Oklahoma, Matt is a PhD student at Lincoln University. He's working with Callaghan Innovation and Agriseeds on promoting better health and nutrition for dairy cows, sheep and deer.

Frosts tickled much of the North Island this week. Now saleyards have opened the demand for store stock has improved.

The Shearing Contractors Association says it may have to recruit newcomers to the industry if shearers and shed workers form the northern hemisphere are unable to come in to New Zealand this year.

It's back to business in market town Feilding and the live lobster industry claws its way back now that air freight to China has resumed. The Shearing Contractors Association says it may have to recruit newcomers to the industry and frosts tickled much of the North Island this week.

Hundreds of bales of donated hay, emblazoned with smiley faces and messages like "kia kaha", are heading to Hawkes Bay this weekend as part of the Rapa Feed Run. Organisers Sophie and Daniel Hansen are hoping the convoy of trucks will nail home the desperate need of their farming cousins further north and remind those farmers they have plenty of community support.

The Jowsey family are among many Hawkes Bay farmers struggling with drought. The daily grind of feeding and watering stock on the parched paddocks is being documented on camera by the youngest in the family, 12 year old Selby.