Rural life

A raft of ducks paddle in a pond near riparian planting on a farm in Owhiro on the lower Taieri Plain, southwest of Mosgiel.

WorkSafe inspectors will visit 1000 farms before the end of the year, focusing on the safety of quadbikes and other risks to prevent agriculture becoming the deadliest sector in New Zealand again.

A West Otago farmer says farm forestry regulations remain unfit for purpose, as he faces a future blighted by shade, frost, pests and fire risk.

Early results of a controlled burn operation trial over 50ha showed promise in controlling invasive wilding conifers provided the rare burning conditions could be achieved, the project manager says.

Waimate's farming community has an upgraded Farm Source store after Fonterra shifted the operation to a new site.

Agricultural entrepreneur Alex de Boer has a long history of doing business in the South.

The ebbs and flows of farming are expected to be exacerbated by future climate change effects, including more volatile weather and strained water resources, a new study has found.

"How did we get here?"

A group of Southland-based Alliance Group shareholders say the $250 million offer by an Irish meat company for a 65% stake in the co-operative appears to significantly undervalue the business