Country Life

Outspoken Southland farmer Ray McCrostie is on a quest to better understand and improve the land under his gumboots. He's lending a hand to Clint Rissman, a scientist who used to work for Environment Southland and automation engineer Richard Dean, who are developing a low cost, portable water-quality monitoring station for farmers. The trio have identified a drain on Mr McCrostie's farm in the Waituna Catchment as the perfect spot to test the prototype system.

Richard Logan has buried "anything on two legs or more" – from emus, huge bulls and llamas to racehorses, Clydesdales, sheep, donkeys and dogs.

Greg Jerry is spending up to $15,000 a month to feed the remaining stock on his farm in north west NSW. He dreads what he will find when he goes out onto the farm each day.

Pukekohe has had near perfect winter growing conditions and vegetables are in heavy supply. Pruning is in full swing in Marlborough's vineyards while on high country properties merinos are on winter rotation.

A Southland farmer Ray McCrostie is on a quest to better understand and improve the land under his gumboots. He's lending a hand to a scientist and an automation engineer who are developing a low cost, portable water-quality monitoring station for farmers...

The Morrison family has been farming the same bit of land near Marton since 1864. More recently they've expanded and have purchased a hill country farm nearby. Will Morrison works Mangara Station and feeds animals born there into Fern Flats, the home farm managed by his brother Richard. The men are both busy off the farm as well. Will is national chairman of Beef and Lamb NZ's farmer council and Richard is president of Manawatu Rangitikei Federated Farmers.

Tai Tapu farmers Brent and Anna Fisher are recognised as some of New Zealand's top breeders of beefy Charolais cattle. The major focus of their breeding programme is to provide bulls to hill and high country farmers.

The number of Greenland White Fronted geese is plummeting despite the fact the birds are protected. On Islay, a remote Hebridean island, efforts are being made to find out why.

King Country farmers are spreading out ewes into lambing paddocks and are innoculating them before lambing. Agricultural work has ground to a halt this week while farmers wait for things to dry out in Canterbury.

Dr Clive Dalton says improved fertility in our national sheep flock and lamb mortality rates are linked.