Farmers are starting to struggle in a drier than normal autumn in many places around the country. In Hawkes Bay apple picking conditions have been fabulous with fine, windless days.

A group of tractor loving mates are driving their vintage Chamberlains around New Zealand to raise money for Heart Kids New Zealand. The charity provides essential support for families that have a child with heart defects.

Deer farming in the roar, hunter gatherers who have honed their survival skills, an entrepreneurial farming couple who are now making caps and bags from their wool clip and the Regional Wrap.

Golden Bay is a long way from home for the Agave tequilana plant, a native of Latin America and most commonly found in Mexico. Terry Knight is growing several thousand of the succulents to produce a top-shelf spirit at his distillery at Motupipi.

Lindsay Garmson has written a book on Coromandel's now defunct granite industry. Granite from Paritu Bay can be found in grand buildings throughout New Zealand and in most of our cemeteries.

In the North Island at least one Taranaki farm's on track for a record milk production season while in the South Island Southland farmers think they've dialled up one of the best possible autumns.

Ben Stubbs killed 800 possums in his QE2 block just after Christmas. He earnt more for the fur from those animals than he did from his wool cheque off 2000 ewes. He says it makes you view road kill differently. Would you drive past a $5 note on the road? Probably not.

Country Life this week talks to a man who's a mine of information about Coromandel's granite industry and meets an entrepreneur making tequila out of his own exotic plantings.

A small scale, commercial market gardening enterprise is feeding Raglan locals with a range of fresh vegetables.

Last month thoroughbreds, station hacks and ponies were saddled up for the annual horse races at Castlepoint Beach. The races started back in 1872 and apart from wartime and stormy years when the beach was too rocky, they've been held every year since marking the end of summer at this small coastal community.