Country Life

Konagh Garrett is a PhD student at Lincoln University. She has a particular interest in nutritional ecology and is looking at how a diverse, varied diet for animals can positively affect welfare and environmental impact, while maintaining or increasing animal production.

In parched Northland, a stock agent in Kaipara district says rain this week was enough to settle the dust, but that's about it. The West Coast has had a week of glorious, fine T-shirt and shorts weather - there's even an excess of grass in some places and baleage is being made.

The harvest of New Zealand's largest horticultural export crop has just begun. Nikki Johnson from NZKGI says, with Covid-19 restricting travel, growers are hoping there will be enough backpackers already in New Zealand to help get the fruit off the vines.

It Starts with the Soil, A finishing farm for lambs, The 90s File, Kiwifruit harvest gets underway and the Regional Wrap.

Each year 17 Taranaki rugby clubs receive cheques from the Taranaki Community Rugby Trust thanks to a successful dairy farming operation. The Trust runs two dairy farms and a run off and all the profits are poured into grass-roots rugby. This year the Trust will distribute $100,000 and says it's all about keeping kids active and removing barriers to participating in the game.

Reza-Abdul Jabbar owns a 349-hectare dairy farm in Southland and is Imam of the world's southernmost mosque in Invercargill. Last March, when he featured on RNZ's Country Life programme, he talked about the work he was doing to support the victims families in the wake of the Christchurch shootings. This week, Cosmo meets up with Reza again to find out how the families are coping and what he plans to do to honour those who lost their lives.

Ruby Mulinder and Sean Nixon bought their first farm two and a half months ago and jumped at the chance to welcome the public and show them where their food comes from.

The Real Estate Institute says large dairy farms are now extremely difficult to sell and some banks are demanding much higher equity from potential buyers.

The grape harvest is well underway in Hawkes Bay in what is a very early vintage this year. The biggest challenge for sheep farmers in Marlborough is keeping ewe condition up for the ram.

Teat Spray and Tackles, One year since the Christchurch Mosque Attacks, Young farmers proud to be part of Open Farms event, Dairy farm sales plummet and the Regional Wrap.

 

 

[audio_play]