Guest judge's fact-finding tour
Guest judge's fact-finding tour
Shawn McAvinue spends five minutes with New Zealand Herefords president and Limehills Herefords owner Gray Pannett , of Millers Flat.
Shawn McAvinue
Lay of the land: sheep farming
Lay of the land: sheep farming
Shawn McAvinue asks farmers at a southern ram sale, how spring treated them on their farm and how is feed supplies shaping up going into summer.
'Aunty Kathryn's Scones'
'Aunty Kathryn's Scones'
In a series, Shawn McAvinue asks people making the food served at ram sales in the South to share their recipes.
$25,000 to aid effort to improve water
$25,000 to aid effort to improve water
Dairy farmer Pete Benny is continuing to work to improve the water quality on his family farm in South Otago.
About getting ‘meat on them’
About getting ‘meat on them’
Shawn McAvinue spends five minutes with South Otago ram breeder Wharetoa Genetics owner Garth Shaw.
Rural career winds down
Rural career winds down
Shawn McAvinue spends five minutes with Gallagher Otago and South Canterbury territory manager Lindsay Whyte, of Wānaka.
Scheme supports vet in rural role at outset of career
Scheme supports vet in rural role at outset of career
Gore veterinarian Holly Hender is getting a kick-start to her career from a Government scheme that aims to ease the shortage of vets in rural practices.
Catlins farmer wins award for use of native trees
Catlins farmer wins award for use of native trees
Farmer Barry Gray is the South Island recipient of the 2022 Landcare Trust Award for his use of native plants on his sheep and beef property in the Catlins.
Funding applications open for catchment and watercare groups
Funding applications open for catchment and watercare groups
A call is being made for funding applications from watercare and catchment groups in Otago.
Rural men wanted to talk dating
Rural men wanted to talk dating
University of Otago student Sophie Dix is calling for young rural men to tell her about their dating habits.
A spirited way to diversify
A spirited way to diversify
A plan to diversify a business to protect a Southland sheep and cropping farm for future generations is maturing like a single malt whisky.
Breeding philosophy passed down
Breeding philosophy passed down
As the ram buying season gets under way, a father and son running two separate Coopworth studs in West Otago share the same breeding philosophy.
Sweet peat: Digger buried among blueberries
Sweet peat: Digger buried among blueberries
An orchard in a peat bog is producing a bounty of blueberries in Western Southland. Shawn McAvinue talks to Blueberry Country orchard manager Kowie du Plessis about the intricacies of working with this spongy soil.
‘Know what is on your farm’
‘Know what is on your farm’
A native shrub with pale purple flowers being dominated by an introduced grass species in the Maniototo highlights a need to better manage biodiversity, a farmer says.
Protecting life of a tributary
Protecting life of a tributary
Dairy farmer Werner Marx launched a water quality project in West Otago during the busiest time of year.
Prep in hand for A&P show day
Prep in hand for A&P show day
Farmer and West Otago A&P Society junior vice-president Bruce Weller, of Waikoikoi.
Bitterness over sale of local Plunket rooms
Bitterness over sale of local Plunket rooms
The hoisting of sale signs outside the two Plunket rooms in West Otago is disappointing, a community stalwart says.
Farmer selling up, heading for the hills to 'go hermit'
Farmer selling up, heading for the hills to 'go hermit'
Basil Snow Cleaver is leaving the farm he has lived on for 14 years behind and heading for the hills with his packhorses to "go hermit".
Farmer selling up, heading for the hills to 'go hermit'
Farmer selling up, heading for the hills to 'go hermit'
"I’m going to load up a couple of packhorses and head into the hills and go hermit and have a good break."
Planned He Waka Eke Noa scheme a contentious subject at meeting
Planned He Waka Eke Noa scheme a contentious subject at meeting
A proposal to price primary sector emissions sparked robust discussion at the Southern South Island Farmer Council annual meeting last week.