Country Life

What's happening on farms and orchards around New Zealand? Each week Radio New Zealand’s Country Life reporters talk to people in rural areas across the country to find out.

Vet and researcher Winston Mason says many dairy farmers are failing to prevent facial eczema despite taking measures to keep it at bay.

Ruairi Kelly and his wife Vicky have upped their efforts to live as sustainably as possible. They raise pigs and goats for meat and grow all the fruit and vegetables they need on less than half a hectare. Country Life's also with an organic sheep farmer who is tempted to revert to conventional farming.

Taranaki is well set up. There's been plenty of rain and lots of silage and hay cut. Milk production is about 7 percent. In Southland there's heaps of baleage being made and everyone's getting the last of the winter crops in.

Ian Proudfoot has three big picture topics on his mind: the role industry needs to play in addressing the nutrition deficit we have in NZ (how can we think we can be regarded as selling the best food in the world when we have the third highest obesity rate in the western world, what does that say about our food), change is happening all the time it won't slow down and the challenge is to stay ahead of changes, and thirdly prices premiums for attributes in food (like grass fed) are transient and when premiums become recognised they will quickly be commoditised so we need to produce the next major attribute which is likely to be carbon zero food.

Farmers Upbeat while Down Under, The Wright Wine comes from Gisborne, Ian Proudfoot Agribusiness Expert KPMG and the Regional Wrap.

A decade or so ago Nicola and Geoff Wright started out making wine in a shipping container. They had one small boy. Now they have three vine yards and five young boys. Nicola still works as a criminal lawyer while Geoff is full time in the wine business.

Rodger Hobson, the UK's largest grower of carrots, was part of a recent whirlwind tour of agricultural production systems around NZ. He says British farmers have much to learn from aspects of New Zealand's agriculture sector.

On a slightly overcast Saturday in November, Horowhenua growers opened their doors to 2,000 members of the public for the third annual Horowhenua Taste Trail. The event is a chance for local producers to give people an insight into the range of food produced in their region and what is required getting it to the plate.

A dedicated group of locals are creating Ellesmere Historical Park near Leeston for future generations of Selwyn District residents. 8,000 local objects have been donated to the collection.