Rat bait poisoning is, unfortunately, a recurring event every winter, and if the symptoms are only detected in the later stages of poisoning, it is a seriously life-threatening issue for your pet. Rat baits are designed to produce delayed onset of symptoms,...... Read More

Was it blissful naivety or complete desperation that propelled that shearer to ask me to rousey that one memorable time? Whatever it was, I had absolutely no intention of allowing my numerous fitness level flaws get in the way of my pride. Looking back,...... Read More

We are fortunate in northern Rodney to be able to enjoy a wide array of native and introduced birds. Frequent visitors or residents of our gardens include kereru, tui, waxeyes, various finches, blackbirds, thrush, mynah, turtle doves, morepork, ducks,...... Read More

It is that time of year when our beehives are wintering over and the rainy and cold conditions are not really conducive for peeking inside hives, thus leaving us beekeepers forlorn and with extra time on our hands. Now I realise this might conjure up...... Read More

Autumn has provided us with some amazing weather, with very little rainfall and higher than normal temperatures. For most sheep and lambs, this has resulted in really good growth rates and condition scores. However, in the last month since the rains have...... Read More

In gardening circles, some practices have been in long use without a lot of scrutiny as to their effectiveness or side effects. The use of copper sprays is one of these; quite effective as protection against the fungi that cause downy mildew, late blight,...... Read More

Following on in the series of my non-farming career is my disastrous folly into “drafting out”. To be fair, I was a very willing participant and eager to add to my skill set. So, I marched off, keen as mustard, to the sheep yards full of hundreds...... Read More

Are vaccinations for our pets really necessary? The loud and clear answer to the question is, “Yes, definitely.” Vaccination has the purpose of limiting infection risk to the individual and to the total population. In a population that has...... Read More

My husband and I made the emotional decision to lease out our farm in order to concentrate on our other business interests, employees and to free-up some life quality time, which is often absent with a heavy workload. The highly respected Northern Rodney...... Read More

As winter approaches, fruit and veggie prices start climbing; which makes it more difficult for people on a tight budget to get their vital intake of healthy food. There is really no excuse for not growing at least some of your own, though. Everyone can...... Read More