Country-Wide Winter 2024
Rubbish as a resource
Plastic waste from farms isn’t just rubbish, it’s a resource. As a product stewardship scheme, Agrecovery doesn’t just collect your plastic farm waste, it cares about the products that plastic is turned into.
Flying into farming
Ron Small started off shepherding people around the skies. Now he prefers shepherding sheep and keeping his flying for fun. His 30-year professional flying career helped him get a foot into land, eventually owning the 3000-hectare Blairich Station in Marlborough. Words Joanna Grigg Photos Jim Tannock
Optimising opportunity
Livestock plays an important role on most arable farms. Heather Chalmers of the Foundation for Arable Research talks to two Mid Canterbury mixed arable farmers about how they are optimising the integration of cropping and livestock.
Connected to the land
A shared passion for food and a love of the land bond Hugo and Pip Beamish, as they embark on their new farming journey, taking over the management of the Beamish family property, Awapai, with a view to beginning farm succession. Words Rebecca Greaves
Making the most of the rain
Water has always been a precious resource for Central Otago farmers Tim and Camilla Rutherford, and they’re keen to ensure they utilise every drop that falls from the sky. Words Rebecca Greaves
Are your ewes getting what they need?
The ewes in a sheep business are its engine room. There aren’t too many days in the year when you shouldn’t be thinking about whether they are getting what they need. Senior Genetics Consultant and CEO at neXtgen Agri, Dr Mark Ferguson offers some expert advice.
How to save on your vet bill
A bit of money spent on a conversation with your vet can save you more than you might think - don’t look at what free giveaways you get and forget about the free ham for Christmas, look at how you can use necessary products most effectively. Words Sara Sutherland
Tasty savoury pizza scrolls
A super easy recipe for a fuelling snack from the talented Philippa Cameron of what’s for smoko.
Investigating regenerative agriculture in a dryland system
On-Farm Research is now two years into a project investigating Regenerative Agriculture (RA) and what role this might play in a dryland farming system. Words Paul Muir, On-Farm Research
Beefing up health
Blood tests from people eating beef from animals fed a functional, diverse pasture mix – sown so the animals can decide what they eat – have higher levels of vitamin E and several other compounds that can be beneficial to human health.