It wasn’t mean to be. The odds were stacked against. Then it did happen and it was a minor miracle. Twin foals have been born to a mare at Wake Field Equestrian Centre in Te Puke. It’s very rare - about one in a hundred...... Read More

The 2018 Dairy Industry Awards’ Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year, 25-year-old Zoe Gleeson, grew up in town with no farming background. The somewhat self-taught dairy trainee told attendees at the DIA winners’ field day on April 5...... Read More

As the name indicates, The Yesteryear Barn Museum at Netherton, just north of Paeroa on State highway 2, has cars and farm machinery from yesteryear. When Laurie Brunt left school he trained as a mechanic – and the love of machinery and the smell...... Read More

The Sustainable Farming Fund, which invests in applied research and projects led by farmers, growers, or foresters, is about to receive a boost in funds to be able to accept more applications. The Coalition Government, in its Budget 2018, has pledged...... Read More

Robert Thode measures every aspect of his Te Puke orchard operation with a ‘sustainability ruler’. Now the kiwifruit grower has installed the first hybrid commercial three-phase solar power system in the country onto a 24m by 12m shed on...... Read More

Two years ago Melissa Hartley was “drowning” and felt she needed to get back in touch with the land. Living in Tauranga the English migrant had made New Zealand her home for 10 years. Still the urban grind of life was taking its toll. “I...... Read More

In order to ensure emergency services can find a rural address in an emergency, Opotiki District Council is to undertake a significant project ensuring all addresses meet the New Zealand Standard Rural and Urban Addressing. The project covers two key...... Read More

During the working day, Kevin Deane is best known as a rural sales consultant, auctioneer, and co-owner with his wife Andrea of the Harcourts franchises in Cambridge, Matamata and Morrinsville. But afterhours, Kevin is most likely to be found going...... Read More

Waipa landowner Ian Kerr has several enterprises on his 22 hectare block near Lake Karapiro, but the pure, well balanced water found on the property proved to be the perfect mix for growing hydroponic plants. A 40m by 20m, double-tunnel, commercial...... Read More

At the foot of the Kaimai Ranges lies the Troughton dairy farm. Ben and Sarah Troughton sharemilk 500 cows on the 200-hectare property, which is owned by Ben’s parents Terry and Margaret, and has been in the family for more than 100 years. A...... Read More