No farm business would have missed the significant increase in the cost of insurance in the past year. Tony Leggett investigates what’s behind the increase and the options for reducing the cost in the future.

Read Country-Wide Summer 2024 online here. Country-Wide is New Zealand’s only dedicated pastoral and arable farming magazine, available on subscription.

Once spring arrives, we all have itching feet to get the barbecue out and entertain. Invitations to the neighbours for a few chops and beverages seem appealing as we get out of winter mode. But you can’t turn up empty handed. If you are like me, you always like to take something despite being told ‘just bring yourselves’. This slice is perfect for that occasion. Great to have as a sweet treat at the end of the night, and any leftovers can be left at your host’s house to munch on the following day. Words & Photos Philippa Cameron.

Perched on dramatic coastal cliffs with sweeping vistas over the Cook Strait and the South Island, Boomrock is the ultimate experience venue, a unique and awe-inspiring place to create lifelong memories. It’s also the legacy of the Eastwick family, who created longevity through diversification. Word Sarah Perriam-Lampp.

A photo shoot unlocked a life-changing leap for Ōmarama’s Kate Wilson, who’s now living her creative dreams in Nashville and along US highways. Words Craig Sisterson.

Sandra Matthews, Rere, Gisborne, sheep and beef farmer, and winner of the FMG Rural Champion award at the 2022 B+LNZ Awards.

Anna Munro is a mum, farmer and rural photographer based in Mt Somers, Mid Canterbury.

Ben Dooley, Mimihau, Southland is a fourth-generation farmer, farming in Mimihau, Southland with his wife, Sarah, and two boys.

Max Tweedie, Tutira, Hawke’s Bay and his wife Lucy run Hallmark Angus Stud.

Are dung beetles your new farm worker? Working round the clock, and paid in dung, dung beetles could be a valuable addition to the toolbox when it comes to improving soil health and water quality on our farms. Words Rebecca Greaves