On the Farm

Calving's started as winter arrives in the far north and stock are tucking in to winter crops around Canterbury Read more Audio

Winter sets in in the north and the effects of the drought are still being felt at the top of the South Island. Read more Audio

Drought hit Hawke's Bay has had rain and in the South Island, Tekapo farmers have been working in temperatures that have barely hit five degrees. Read more Audio

Farmers in the picturesque Matukituki Valley near Wanaka are enjoying being able to move stock easily now that tourist traffic has quietened down. The mild start to winter around much of the country… Read more Audio

Ewe scanning is underway in the north, which has seen more welcome rain this week and dairy farmers are catching their breath before calving. Read more Audio

Farmers in the far north have had to get their wet weather gear out this week and pruning has started on orchards and vineyards. Read more Audio

Frosts tickled much of the North Island this week. Now saleyards have opened the demand for store stock has improved. Read more Audio

It's still horrifically dry in Southern Hawkes Bay and some Gisborne mandarins are being held on trees until demand picks up post lockdown, while in the South Island green kiwifruit are being… Read more Audio

Hawkes Bay is in dire straits with a continuing drought, Northland which was in one of the worst droughts on record, has had rain. A parched Marlborough received rain last weekend and South Otago is… Read more Audio

Farmers in most parts of the country are longing for rain forecast for this weekend. RSE workers have finished long seasons in New Zealand but many can't get home to the Pacific because of Covid-19… Read more Audio

Dams are being cleaned out in Northland to improve water storage and at the top of the South Island the hop harvest has been producing good yeilds. Read more Audio

Winter's on its way with a chill in the air and snow in the south but not nearly enough rain to break drought. Farmers are feeding the soil to keep growth going with more stock than normal to feed. Read more Audio

The beginning of the week was beautifully fine and far too dry in most of the North Island and in the South, snow has fallen on hills around the Mackenzie Basin. Read more Audio

As welcome rain dampens soils in many regions in time for winter sowing, farmers around the country share how they're coping with Covid-19. Read more Audio

Covid-19 is upsetting the labour supply for some harvests but a dollop of rain in certain drought stricken areas is cheering farmers up, although those in Marlborough are still begging for more. Read more Audio

It's cooled off a bit in the North Island but farmers are still hanging out for rain, while in the South Island, West Coast and Southland farms are going into autumn with pretty good pasture growth. Read more Audio

In parched Northland, a stock agent in Kaipara district says rain this week was enough to settle the dust, but that's about it. The West Coast has had a week of glorious, fine T-shirt and shorts… Read more Audio

The grape harvest is well underway in Hawkes Bay in what is a very early vintage this year. The biggest challenge for sheep farmers in Marlborough is keeping ewe condition up for the ram. Read more Audio

Each week our Country Life reporters check out the latest from farms and orchards around the country.

South Waikato had thunder rolling around the district at the weekend but the rain was very choosy… Read more Audio

Around Pukekohe, warm dry days have continued and growers have maintained the costly task of irrigating outdoor crops. Harvest is progressing well in Canterbury but, despite the dry weather, it has… Read more Audio

Around Pukekohe, the widespread drought continues to make life difficult for the outdoor vegetable industry. A dairy farmer near Balclutha in South Otago is in flood recovery mode. His farm is… Read more Audio

The big dry continued in Northland this week with not a spot of rain to relieve drought conditions. Flooding in South Otago is starting to subside. A sheep and beef farmer near Balclutha recorded 185… Read more Audio

Hawkes Bay's grape vines are enjoying the dry, hot summer but most areas are hoping for rain. Read more Audio

Taranaki could be heading for its driest January in 40 years and central Otago's waiting for its first drop of rain for the year. Read more Audio

Country Life's whipping around the country to hear about 'the year that's been' for our food producers. Read more Audio

There was flooding to all the main alpine fed rivers in Canterbury last weekend while in many parts of the North Island paddocks and orchards are drying out. Some welcome rain elsewhere in the North… Read more Audio

Waikato's become a bit dry in the past week but good rain, forecast for the weekend, should help set farms up well for summer. A hop grower at Tapawera in the Nelson region says the focus this week… Read more Audio

Hawkes Bay's cherries are being picked and Southland and South Otago have finally had the chance to dry out... Read more Audio

Welcome rain has set many farms up for the summer. It hasn't really warmed up in the far south and grass is struggling to grow. Marlborough has finally transitioned from what has been a fickle spring… Read more Audio

Welcome rain has set farms up for the summer but hail in Hawke's Bay and Pukekohe has caused some fruit damage. It hasn't really warmed up in the far south and grass is struggling to grow. Read more Audio