Livestock
The breed or buy-in ewes question
More profitable alternative enterprises may be accommodated if replacement stock are bought or grazed off farm, Tom Ward writes.
A durable farming partnership
An equity partnership that allowed a father and son to farm has finished, but the winning Wairarapa pair are still farming. By Terry Brosnahan. Photos by Mark Coote.
Big call downsizing NZ ag
Vet Trevor Cook has been visiting Scotland and Denmark, catching up on changes to farm practices.
Mycoplasma bovis (and the lessons we have yet to learn)
In the first in a series on Mycoplasma bovis (M bovis), ag scientist Nicola Dennis traces the history of New Zealand’s outbreak and some of the lessons.
Ewes need to pull weight
Mating starts at weaning, and the target body condition score is 3.0 - and that’s the goal, not the average, Dwayne Cowin writes.
Check the trace element tank
Deficiencies of trace elements, unless severe, usually go unnoticed, Vet Trevor Cook writes.
The laws of farming
Despite high-flying careers in London, a young couple couldn’t resist the call of home and the family’s Rangitikei farm. Story and photos by Sarah Horrocks.
Number cruncher at Totara Hills
A 100% trading policy allows a couple to take advantage of opportunities and reduces the risks the region’s climate delivers. By Tony Leggett.
Doing things their way
Taking on a long lease for a family farm at the top of the South Island after years working overseas means a couple are free to make decisions. Story and photos by Anne Hardie.
Study identifies ewe wastage numbers
A ewe wastage study on 37 sheep farms across New Zealand last year found that on average, 30 out of every 100 ewes left their flocks between mating and post-weaning.