A fourth-generation Canterbury dairy farmer is embracing regenerative agriculture. John says soil health on his Leeston property has improved dramatically since he stopped using synthetic fertilisers three years ago.

Steve Matthews loves the wild Wairarapa coast where he's worked on farms most of his life. Intrigued by the deer he used to see munching seaweed on the beach, the pensioner started up his own small business foraging and selling the stuff. Demand is huge but he plans to stay small-scale, unless new regulations put him out of business .

Brandon Dalton moved to Lees Valley in Canterbury from a ranch in eastern Montana and now works alongside 13 other staff to keep the 20 thousand hectare station ticking over.

Hot temperatures have seen pasture growth bolt away over much of the North Island. In the South it's been warm too. Farmers in Canterbury have been planting kale for grazing next winter and hopefully by the end of next week all the tractor work will be done for the season.

Rural doctors, nurses, and business have met with the health minister this week to press home health issues affecting people living in the country side and smaller towns. Our guest this week is a GP from Kaikoura who's with the Rural Health Alliance of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Relieving the Rural Health Crisis, Where the Grass is Greener, Meet the Seaweed Man, Farming with the Future in Mind and The Regional Wrap.

Shepherding is more a lifestyle than a job for Kate White, Lesley Pollock and Kacey Johnson. They're among the youngest all women team of shepherds tin the country.

North Canterbury farmers Melissa and Hayden Cowan have a small flock of rare black-nosed Swiss Valais sheep. Often referred to as the "cutest sheep in the world" this distinctive breed with black face and ears, curly forelocks and spotted knees and hocks originate in the mountains of the Valais area of Switzerland.

Plant and Food Research is working the the Middle East to help an environment agency there know how much water can be safely allocated to date plantations. It's an extension of the work it has been doing in New Zealand, measuring sap flow in various crops and developing models regional councils can use to work out water allocations.

In Bay of Plenty pasture's been bolting away and the good quality feed's been putting weight on cattle and lambs. Dairy farmers have finally put their silage wagons away in Canterbury and yearling bulls on lucerne are currently growing at two kilos per head per day.