Country Life

More government support will be heading the way of farmers and growers in the Marlborough, Tasman and Nelson districts where an intense dry spell has been labelled a medium-scale adverse event.

More government support will be heading the way of farmers and growers in the Marlborough, Tasman and Nelson districts where an intense dry spell has been labelled a medium-scale adverse event.

Also, animal genetics company LIC has released a new breeding value to reduce facial eczema in dairy herds and Beef and Lamb New Zealand's mid-season update has worsened since forecasts in October - and farm profits are expected to be down on average 54 percent on last season.

Hear this week's rural news

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Kaahu Birdling and Jordan Popata are supervisors at Thomas Brothers Orchard in Riwaka. They manage their own teams and are embracing every opportunity to learn about leadership and orchard management.

Jordan Popata and Kaahu Birdling are supervisors at Thomas Brothers Orchard in Riwaka.

The 150-hectare orchard has been in operation for over 100 years and grows apples, cherries and kiwifruit.

"During harvest, I'll have a team of about 20 Vanuatuan boys and they'll be picking away on ladders. They're very good workers, so it makes my job a lot easier," Jordan says.

Thomas Brothers employs about 70 workers through the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. This season the majority are from Vanuatu.

Listen to Jordan and Kaahu here

Kaahu started working in orchards at 16 and has never looked back. She's been at Thomas Brothers for about three years.

"As soon as they saw that I was keen they got me into higher level jobs and just constantly pushed me into things I didn't think I'd be capable of doing... and from that, it's opened up so many different doors," she says.

She's embracing every opportunity to learn about leadership and orchard management.

"We recently did a first aid course and we've got another leadership course coming up this Friday."

"Part of it is learning how to manage my job better and how to manage people better. It's just basically working on yourself to make the crew work better," she says.

The women, who were finalists in last years Nelson Young Grower of the Year competition, believe the horticultural industry has heaps to offer in terms of career opportunities for young people.

"There's so many different jobs that are available. It's not just picking and packing. Just show people that you're keen and you'll be surprised at how far you can go," Kaahu suggests.

Jordan says the first step is to go and talk to someone at your local orchard.

"Family businesses are very welcoming and non-judgemental. You could have a pretty rough past and they'd still welcome you like anybody else. So don't be afraid jump into it."

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How did two sisters design throws and blankets using lambs wool from the family farm? Kate Cullwick and Prue Watson share the secret to their Foxtrot Home business success and why it's essential to spread the good word about New Zealand wool.

After leaving life as a veterinarian and the corporate world, sisters Kate Cullwick and Prue Watson were looking for a new business venture to combine their talents and showcase the best of the family farm.

Kate and her husband Jeremy Cullwick worked as vets practising in Dannevirke before moving to Jeremy's family sheep and beef farm, Tapahia, 30 minutes south of the Waipukurau township where they live with their kids Oscar and Bess. His parents bought the Central Hawke's Bay farm nearly 50 years ago, with Jeremy and Kate working for them for seven years before taking over its day to day running five years ago.

In 2017, Kate teamed up with her sister Prue to start an online homeware business, designed to fit in with family life, which now makes use of lambswool from the farm. While Jeremy and Oscar head off to dip some sheep, Kate explains how Foxtrot Home began.

Listen to producer Maggie Tweedie's Foxtrot Home story on Country Life

After hanging up her vet instruments and becoming a mother, Kate and Prue decided to join entrepreneurial forces and start a new business. Prue was wanting a change of pace from her corporate city job and Kate had just sold her small business making lampshades.

They wanted to switch things up and that's when they stumbled across the idea of selling linen and eventually ended up releasing an organic French flax linen and lambswool bedding range.

Wool felt like a natural next step for the sisters who had fleeces on their doorstep begging to be made into bedding. The wool stacked in bales at Tapahia gets sent up the road to the wool scourers in Napier. It then gets shipped to Wellington and processed into yarn and dyed with the colours handpicked by Kate and Prue.

With all this talk of fabrics, we head down the hallway and into Kate's home office. On the table sits a sewing machine, parcels ready for sending and stacks of natural linen and woollen blankets.

The sisters are passionate about doing more to spread the word about this special wonder fibre into the world. A year on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Kate says she feels lucky they've had business success and really believes in the power of community.

She says Foxtrot Home wants to continue using their platform to promote the work of Rural Women New Zealand and the charities I AM Hope and Meat the Need.

Running Tapahia has also opened doors to new ventures like buying Kate's family farm in Gisborne…

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It's 1956 and in the heat of February seven shepherds, a pack train and 40 dogs drove 4000 ewes from remote Bluff Station, 90 kilometres down the back country to Kekerengu for shearing.

It's 1956 and in the heat of February seven shepherds, a pack train and 40 dogs drove 4000 ewes from remote Bluff Station, 90 kilometres down the back country to Kekerengu for shearing.

Listen to this vintage audio recording from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Narrated by Bruce Petrie and recorded using one of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service's then new portable tape recorders, this programme is an early example of a radio documentary using actuality recorded in the field.

Click here to hear the full 58-minute audio documentary on the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision website.

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Every Thursday afternoon, Banks Peninsula farmers head to the beach in Hickory Bay and ride waves to forget about work. Farmer and surfing coach, Kristin Savage, runs the Surfing for Farmers initiative, which doubles up as an apres surf catch-up and BBQ in the farmyard.

Every Thursday afternoon, Banks Peninsula farmers head to the beach in Hickory Bay and ride waves to forget about work.

Farmer and surfing coach, Kristin Savage, runs the Surfing for Farmers initiative, which doubles up as an apres surf catch-up and BBQ in the farmyard.

The surf therapy initiative, which has 28 chapters around the motu, is helping improve mental health and wellbeing in rural communities.

Listen to Cosmo's story at Hickory Bay

Hickory Bay Farm is located at the end of a steep and winding seven-kilometre gravel road. Kristin and his wife Rachel have been living there for 13 years.

They were first-time farmers when they took over the 500-hectare property, that was previously owned by British banking heir, David de Rothschild.

"We came from Wellington. I was a commerce teacher at Wellington Boys and Rachel was a flight retrieval ICU nurse," Kristin said.

He admits it was a steep learning curve and he's grateful to Rachel's parents, Ashburton farmers Keith and Rosemary Townshend, for their guidance and support.

"They're amazing farmers and I've learnt so much from them and we wouldn't be here without their help, so you know, it was kind of like sink or swim."

The couple, who have three young children, graze dairy cattle and run a herd of Speckle Park, a Canadian breed of beef cattle.

For Kristin, who's been surfing mad since he was 12, the farm's jewel in the crown is the bay and its waves, as well as the beach and the dramatic cliffs on either side.

"The prevailing wind is offshore, so blowing back out to sea grooming the waves, the cliffs make these waves kind of clean and there's plenty of swell. This combination produces the nice peaky, bowly waves that surfers really like.

He started a surf club for local schoolchildren several years ago after turning the old woolshed into the Hickory Bay Surfing Institute. The institute is a Charitable Trust.

"The vision statement is creating community wellbeing through the sport of surfing. So the surfing is the catalyst, but we will get around the fire and cook dinner together on the grill and tell stories."

With the surfing school infrastructure set up, it seemed like a natural fit to get involved with Surfing for Farmers…

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

A chat about the top stories this week from RNZ's rural news team with Susan Murray in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

A chat about the top stories this week from RNZ's rural news team with Susan Murray in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

The state owned farming company Pamu has been given a rattle up by the government, an update on drought conditions at the top of the South Island, and is support is growing to keep the ban of exporting live animals by sea in place?

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Sarah Maxwell switches from inseminating cows in the morning to shifting cows and sheep in the afternoon, working at the local sale yards and more besides.

Sarah Maxwell switches from inseminating cows in the morning to shifting cows and sheep in the afternoon, working at the local sale yards, and then in the evening sometimes connecting with her young farming mates as part of Young Farmers.

The 28-year-old is busy as an AI technician, sheep and beef stock manager on the family farm near Bunnythorpe and Young Farmers rep.

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

'Give us a break!' say surfing farmers, a back country dream comes true on horseback, Sarah Maxwell's farming journey and a wrap of the week's rural news.

Every Thursday afternoon Banks Peninsula farmers head to the beach to ride waves and forget about work. Cosmo meets farmer and surf coach Kristen Savage who runs the Surfing for Farmers initiative at Hickory Bay and Sally is in the paddock with Manawatū stock manager Sarah Maxwell who's bringing lots of new ideas to the family farm.

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

Karolin van Onna and her friend had dreamt about horse trekking the length of the South Island for years - and last summer they finally did it.

Karolin van Onna had been talking about horse trekking the length of the South Island for years and last summer she finally did it.

She and her friend Nicole Kumpfmueller spent three and a half months at the beginning of 2023 riding more than 1500km from Bluff to Picton on back-country trails.

Her horses, Moose, Rasta and Alex, were experienced and vet-checked thoroughly for the journey, van Onna told Country Life.

"We found it amazing how willing they were to keep going every day."

Hear about some of Karo's adventures horse trekking the South Island

https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6348416102112

Originally from Germany, Van Onna has lived in New Zealand for more than eight years.

She runs a horse trekking business in Cromwell so the horses were used to journeys - but nothing as long as this.

At the beginning, the horses sometimes tried to turn around as if to say "time to go home now", she said.

"But after a while, I think they realised, 'Oh no, there's no turning back'."

While planning the journey, the women spoke to farmers and people who had done a lot of back-country horse riding - but learning to read the topographical maps was a baptism of fire.

A chance meeting with a local prevented them from getting stuck in a rugged mountain range - the elevation not immediately clear with their basic map-reading skills.

There were also quite a few big river crossings, which tested their skills.

"It was like pure adrenaline when you have to ride through a deep river and you're not quite sure how deep it's going to be and you're just trying to make it to the other side."

On the other hand, small creeks foxed her horse Moose.

"He just hated them and it would take so long every time to convince him to to get over.

"I would get off and try to pull him over and he just refused for like 10 minutes, and then suddenly he would jump on top of me!"

On top of map reading and planning where they would pitch their tent each day, up to 10 hours a day in the saddle was tiring, van Onna said.

They would hop off after about six hours and walk beside the horses.

"It does get exhausting ... not only physically, but mentally as well.

"It was always looking at maps and 'Where do we have to go next, and where does the track go and we're going to turn right soon' and you don't ever stop thinking about what's coming next."…

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Kiwifruit are looking good in Hawkes Bay. Some flooded vines have died but generally recovery is better than expected. Conditions are very dry in Marlborough so many farmers are offloading stock due to concerns over feed and water levels.

Kiwifruit are looking good in Hawkes Bay. Some flooded vines have died but generally recovery is better than expected. Conditions are very dry in Marlborough so many farmers are offloading stock due to concerns over feed and water levels.

Listen to Country Life for more on farming conditions around NZ

Te Tai Tokerau/Northland had some welcome rain this week - about 30 millimetres, but follow up is needed to break the dry spell. Dairy farmers are in a good head space apparently - that's with the forecast payout going up. Dairy cow pregnancy testing is well underway and results are normal, with 10 to 15 percent empty. The labour shortage, which has been an issue for several years, is even more dire this year.

In Pukekohe extensive areas of leafy green crops have been planted for winter but prolific numbers of diamond black moths and army worm are getting a meal first. Growers are saying demand for their crops is very weak and the prices they're receiving very disappointing.

On Waikato dairy farms, grass is growing, cows are milking and supplementary feed isn't needed, even though some are feeding out. The price of maize silage has plummeted, there's no demand from cow farmers and grain operators aren't interested because they still have full silos from last year. In the hot, dry conditions the maize is ripening really quickly though, so farmers will have to cut it whether they want to or not, they just can't hold out for the market to pick up a bit.

Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growers are positive. Picking started for the new red variety this week and some orchardists are finding quite a few small fruit in their crops. Gold growers are gearing up for harvest and are quietly hopeful with good volume on the vines.

There is plenty of grass on King Country farms. It's not great quality at this time of year, but stock are doing OK and at last lambs are starting to put on some weight but, as there is everywhere, there is dismay at the low prices being paid for store lambs. Early lambing farmers are putting the ram out, and those with weaner cattle to sell are preparing for sale yard fairs over the next couple of weeks .

Taranaki has had what is being called a "kind" summer. Farms generally are looking green but there are localised dry patches with brown pasture. One dairy farmer said "covers are adequate but not exciting". Some are feeding out and those into autumn calving have just started and it's going well. Maize harvesting's well underway …

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