Livestock

The New Zealand sheep industry has had many discussions over the years about the perfect sheep and how that fits into the diverse range of farming conditions. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but a group of farmers and a scientist are working on that idea. By Sarah Horrocks.

BJ Holdsworth has many strings to his bow. Louise Savage reports on the switch to Wiltshire sheep and the hunting business.

Farming in tough Otago country has its challenges, but careful stock selection and the ability to change direction when necessary is proving successful for a Southland couple. By Annabelle Latz.

Sheep mortality in lambing could be compared to the negativity associated with bobby calves, a Marlborough farmer warns. Joanna Grigg reports.

Welcome to the inaugural best in sheep research awards where we arbitrarily celebrate the sheep-based science of the past year. By Dr Nicola Dennis.

On-Farm Research at the Poukawa Research Farm did much pioneering research on calf rearing from the mid 1990s, rearing about 8000 calves across a wide range of trials. Paul Muir offers his thoughts on what is still relevant to current calf rearers

Failure of calves to get sufficient colostrum and acquire early immunity is a world-wide problem, Paul Muir writes.

Paul Muir of On-Farm Research knows a lot about sick calves – what causes illness and effective treatments – but he’s still had problems.

Trevor Cook has been hosting farmer groups around the country and is all too aware of the disconnect between farmers facing numerous issues and those who make the rules.

Say Waiouru and we automatically think 'army town', but just down the road on the North Island’s Central Plateau, a couple is gaining top sheep fertility and growth rates in a tough environment. Tony Leggett reports.