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

Beekeepers are a funny bunch. I reckon we are quirky mostly due to the amount of time we spend crouched or bent over with our bums to the wind talking and listening to bees. Put four of us together in a room and soon there will be a buzzing conversation...... Read More

Recent months have seen a number of new animal welfare regulations introduced and more are coming in future months. Traditionally, regulations have covered adequate food, water, shelter and appropriate handling, but there is a movement toward incorporating...... Read More

I was a 47-year-old “big phat manu” virgin. A “big phat manu” is derived from the Maori word (manu) meaning bomb, which is basically uber-cool speak for “I’m going to do a bommie into the water”.  Of course,...... Read More

Your plants (and probably you!) might be exhausted after a long, hot and hopefully productive summer. Some can be coddled along a bit more, others may need to be terminated; the plants, not the gardener! Heavy feeding crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers,...... Read More