Farmers unite for water
Farmers unite for water
East Otago Catchment Group co-chairperson Katie Barns and secretary Stephanie Scott have been inspired to help facilitate farmer-led change for the improvement of waterways and streams in the area....
Southern Rural Life
Recording data ‘will keep business safe’
Recording data ‘will keep business safe’
Health and safety is not about putting a high visibility cone at ‘‘every pot hole’’ or ‘‘micro-managing every man and his dog’’, WorkSafe inspector Karl Sankey says.
Dogs ‘become an extension of you’
Dogs ‘become an extension of you’
Moa Flat farmer Cam Bain says he is always working to perfect his dog training skills, mostly out of necessity: ‘‘chasing a mob of lambs around on foot sucks.’’
New action group on winter grazing
New action group on winter grazing
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced the members of a new action group tasked with implementing recommendations to improve animal welfare in winter grazing systems.
Rescued rusty treasure
Rescued rusty treasure
Horsepower of a different kind greeted riders on the final day of the Goldfields Cavalcade to Patearoa.
New breed key to organic success
New breed key to organic success
Imagine a breed of sheep that requires no dagging, shearing, vaccinations or dipping. It is highly fertile, lives a reproductive life of 15 years or more and puts all of its energy into producing...
Southland Ballance Farm Environment Awards
Southland Ballance Farm Environment Awards
Four farming operations are contenders in this year’s Southland Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The winners will be announced at an awards function in Invercargill on April 3.
Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards
Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards
Five finalists have been named in this year’s Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The winners will be announced at an awards function in the Glenroy Auditorium, Dunedin, on April 2.
No problem too big for field days crew
No problem too big for field days crew
Still slightly dusty from a Friday night post-field days ‘‘debrief’’, Southern Field Days president Warren Ross answered his phone on Sunday evening for what was quite possibly the thousandth time...
Strath Taieri Speed Shears
Strath Taieri Speed Shears
Strath Taieri Young Farmers Club hosted its annual Speed Shear Competition last Saturday evening. A big crowd enjoyed the entertainment on stage — including MC Tom McCone’s one-liners. Alice Scott...
Fairton freezing works and land going for sale
Fairton freezing works and land going for sale
Silver Fern Farms has confirmed its mothballed Fairton plant and surrounding land is going to be sold.
Rain welcomed by Otago farmers
Rain welcomed by Otago farmers
While Southland farmers have been left with quite the mess to mop up from last week’s deluge, the storm had lost its sting as it moved north, leaving Otago farmers a little more fortunate.
Rain adds difficulty to Field Days preparations
Rain adds difficulty to Field Days preparations
Things got interesting for the Southern Field Days crew as more than 150mm of rain fell in Gore at the beginning of last week — which coincided with vendors also trying to get to the site to set up...
Smart co-operation helps with deer success
Smart co-operation helps with deer success
Life moves at a million miles an hour for Clachanburn’s John Falconer. Thank goodness, he says, wife Mary is there to keep her foot on the brake ‘‘just ever so slightly.’’
Earnscleugh Station merino ram sale
Earnscleugh Station merino ram sale
Flooding and heavy rain did not prevent commercial buyers from attending the second of two merino ram sales at Earnscleugh Station near Alexandra last week.
Station produces 10-micron fleece
Station produces 10-micron fleece
Earnscleugh Station owners Alistair and Duncan Campbell have achieved a milestone — breeding a merino sheep that has produced an ultra-fine 10 micron fleece.
Top-priced merino ram sells for $4600
Top-priced merino ram sells for $4600
Nine Mile Station attracted about 25 buyers to its annual ram sale in Tarras last week.
Chittock sisters take on business world
Chittock sisters take on business world
The Chittock name is well-known in southern circles for farming, good-natured banter and being particularly lucky when the odds are stacked against them. But three Chittock sisters are mixing that...
Shearing sure fits the bill for Bob Tamepo
Shearing sure fits the bill for Bob Tamepo
From working the handpiece to walking the corridors ... Alice Scott talks to Bob Tamepo about his interesting and varied career path both in and out of the rural sector.
Palmerston-Waihemo A&P Show
Palmerston-Waihemo A&P Show
The annual Palmerston-Waihemo A&P Show was held in Palmerston on Saturday, followed by a car show at the showgrounds on Sunday.