As I write my final contribution for the year (and - as I am about to leave Whanganui - for the foreseeable future), I am thinking

Struggling with planting some tropical-looking plants I asked a neighbour to help lift them because they had spiky shards. "It is

"To make the Waikato River swimmable for its full length, in 80 years, will cost a large amount of money", writes Dr Doug Edmeades

When John Key became our 38th Prime Minister on November 8, 2008 it was an extraordinary turnaround from the previous election. In

COMMENT: John Key tries to smooth fears of a rising tide of US protectionism.

In the immortal words of Britney Spears, "Oops I did it again". The appearance of a goat in the paddock at home has been greeted

Biddy Fraser-Davies has been battling the bureaucrats since 2009, when food safety officials spotted her on Country Calendar and turned

Earlier this year I talked about fresh water policy being driven by central government coming to our region like a freight train

Hooray - summer is finally here! Fresh new season Northland sweet corn, Oamaru jersey benne potatoes, Hawke's Bay cherries, Wairoa

For two weeks now the nation's attention has been on the upper South Island as the residents there struggle to get their lives on

Dom lovingly recounts The Country beer brewing process in association with Emerson's Brewery and under the iron-fist of Jamie Mackay.

I feel I really need to voice my concerns regarding the water issues that we are having in Hawke's Bay and that have become very obvious

As a result of last week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the government is considering emergency legislation to get Kaikoura back up and

The farm's been rattled by earthquakes, buffeted by ferocious winds and battered by horizontal rain this month.

With the changing of the guard in the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, there has been a lot of rhetoric and noise about the future of

The Country host Jamie Mackay reflects on some seismic shifts in the rural community.

Edward O. Wilson is the legendary biologist, famous for making us aware of the "square foot of soil" beneath our feet. He says for

The Whangarei, Far North and Auckland communities recently celebrated our respective councils' decision to protect our productive

It is well accepted that the global population will rise from around 7.5billion to more than 9billion by mid-century and that all

Since the 1950s farmers have been working to control erosion, but there's a lot we still don't know about the processes involved. Erosion

Lately, even more than usual, Northland has felt like a great place to live. We have our challenges - dry summers and hordes of Auckland

Farms in Hastings have recently been revalued, and Federated Farmers has some tips for property owners about these notices. Every

I'm thankful for trivialities. When hundreds of your fellow countrymen are dealing with the myriad effects of earthquake damage

COMMENT: Dairy, meat, logs and even rising house prices are all masking the key to New Zealand's future success which will be driven by technology.

COMMENT: Watching the Havelock North water contamination debacle unfold is a salutary lesson in just how much power the dairy industry wields.

I first met East Coast farmer and raconteur, Graeme Williams, about a dozen or so years ago. He was a mate of Grant 'Disaster' McMaster

It's now over a week since we were struck by a severe 7.8 magnitude earthquake. It was 16km deep and centred near Hanmer Springs

Abundant supplies of cheap salad vegetables await you when shopping this week. Avocados, cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes are all

There is an increasing trend in New Zealand and overseas towards offloading responsibilities for conservation action on to community

Growers and readers may have heard us talking about our Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) and I wanted to take the opportunity of providing