Country Life

Sharlene Wilson has turned her rural property in North Canterbury into a haven for rescued farm animals who find healing, freedom and a place to truly belong.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

In this episode:

• 0:12 - Animals of all shapes and sizes
• 4:38 - In search of a new home
• 9:40 - Meet Marshmallow
• 13:48 - Volunteers

With thanks to:

• Sharlene Wilson, Canterbury Tails Animal Rescue Sanctuary

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Crooked Vege's pay-what-you-can model for its vege boxes may have been a radical idea two years ago but it's plan seems to be working. The small farm has had its challenges, though.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

If you'd like to support Crooked Vege's fundraiser, go to their website

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Agrecovery's seen huge growth in the 20 years it's been operating, with those in the primary sector looking for new ways to recycle on-farm plastic. "We know the farmers and growers are wanting solutions."

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

You can learn more about Agrecovery, here. And for more information about the proposed regulations, see here.

With thanks to:

• Tony Wilson

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Country Life speaks to farmers and growers around New Zealand to find out about growing conditions over the past month.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

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This week Country Life dives underground to take a closer look at soils, from Canterbury farmers using the Japanese Bokashi system to a market gardener making garden beds as rich as chocolate cake in Taranaki. We also unpack the recently announced biodiversity credits.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

In this episode:

• 0:48 - Rural News Wrap
• 5:52 - Dollars for nature - a look at biodiversity credits
• 17:51 - Bokashi by the Tonne - Farmers turns waste into natural fertiliser
• 31:30 - Roebuck Farm: Where the garden beds are rich 'like chocolate cake'

With thanks to guests:

• Sean Weaver, Ekos
• Hayden Johnston
• Tim Hawke and Murray Weaver
• Jodi Roebuck, Roebuck Farm

Make sure you’re following us on your favourite podcast app, so you don’t miss new episodes every Friday evening.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Over the past 20 years, Jodi Roebuck and his wife Tanya have turned a bare paddock into a thriving market garden with an emphasis on microgreens, teachers others from around the world how to do the same.

You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.

You can learn more about Roebuck Farm, here.

In this episode:

• 0:19 - Roebuck Farm
• 3:26 - Cover crops
• 7:04 - Microgreens
• 14:19 - Wash and pack

With thanks to:

• Jodi Roebuck

Make sure you’re following us on your favourite podcast app, so you don’t miss new episodes every Friday evening.

Want to chat to us or find out more about RNZ Podcasts? Join the RNZ Podcasts Discussion Facebook group where we share behind the scenes info about our series, and invite you to share feedback, recommendations and ask us questions.

Send us your feedback or get in touch at [email protected]

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Bokashi, the Japanese anaerobic composting system which ferments organic matter, is helping to maintain healthy soils on a sheep and dairy grazing farm in North Canterbury.

You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.

With thanks to:

• Tim Hawke and Murray Weaver
  

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.

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News that the government is looking to support a market system to help fund the huge cost of restoring nature could be music to the ears of farmers and iwi wanting to do their bit for biodiversity but facing huge costs. So what are biodiversity credits and how do they work?

You can find photos and read more about this episode on our webpage, here.

With thanks to:

• Sean Weaver, EKOS
• Hayden Johnston, Ministry for the Environment

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week Country Life celebrates Matariki with stories about Māori horticultural wisdom and a couple setting up star gazing experiences on their farm.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

In this episode:

• 0:48 - Rural News Wrap
• 6:02 - Nick Roskruge - digging into indigenous knowledge
• 14:05 - 'We can grow anything here': A family's growing experiment
• 28:36 - Stars, soil and whakapapa - 'We're just caretakers really'

With thanks to guests:

• Nick Roskruge
• The McClutchie whānau
• Mark and Susannah Guscott, Glen Eden Farms

Make sure you’re following us on your favourite podcast app, so you don’t miss new episodes every Friday evening.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details