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Country Life headlines with summaries.
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Budding microgreens business sprouts up in Tai Tapu
Trays of greens are starting to fly out of the shed door at Jess Murchie-Brown and Don Murchie's vertical farming set-up on their rural lifestyle block south of Christchurch. It's proving to be a…
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Students' no-ice device has farmers interested
Three students from Mackenzie College / Aro o Te Tika in South Canterbury have developed a solution to stop water troughs from freezing over in winter.
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Curious Crop waiting for buyers
Anthony and Angela Tringham's gorgeous heirloom tomatoes are ready to pick. They were destined for Auckland restaurants and the Clevedon Farmer's market - which are closed.
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Art on the Farm
The inaugural Gullies Art Residency will be taken up by Auckland artist Andrew McLeod early next year. He'll spend eight weeks at The Gullies, a sheep and beef farm in Rangitkei.
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Full Episode for Friday Aug 27 2021
Country Life meets North Otago vege grower and soil expert Jim O'Gorman - otherwise known as Kakanui's dirt doctor - and catches up with a vet who has left New Zealand and returned to the family farm…
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The Otago 'dirt doctor' who fixed his damaged soil
North Otago vege grower Jim O'Gorman has spent the past 20 years studying the soil at his market garden at Kakanui. His research focuses on restoring to health and high productivity damaged land…
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NZ tests to reveal if bio-based claims stack up
27 Aug 2021Tests of a selection of plastics marketed as bio-based has found half of them are not all they claim. GNS and Scion have developed new tests that will verify if they are.
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Calling Islay
Vet Samara Johstone has returned home to Islay after working in New Zealand. She's busy running the family farming and tending the island's animals.
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Keeping people safe on the orchard and on farm
WorkSafe NZ's Al McCone says two simple things could save many deaths a year in rural NZ.
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Full Episode for Friday Aug 20 2021
Country Life this week follows a dairy farmer and his team in the wee early hours as they help the herd through the calving season and what started out as a lifestyle hobby for a family in Cheviot has…
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It's calving time
It's calving season in the dairy sector and many farmers and staff are working huge hours to look after their animals. Country Life is up before the birds with Carterton dairy farmer Jody James to see…
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Top chef teams up with Southland producers
Chef Ethan Flack has returned to Invercargill after years working in Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK. He plans to open a food space where he can tell the stories of Southland's farmers and…
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A Nest Egg for Jack
A lifestyle hobby for a family in Cheviot has turned into a thriving business. Five years ago Kobus and Julie Venter purchased a dozen hens for their son Jack. Now his flock numbers over a thousand…
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Country Life for Friday August 13 2021
Country Life this week learns about gumboot throwing and meets an award-winning Taihape local who promotes the sport. The show also takes you to a farm in Duntroon in North Otago. Millions of years…
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'If it weren't for your gumboots where would you be?'
Curly Troon is a stalwart of the gumboot throwing world in New Zealand. The Taihape local has been honoured this year with a Toyota Lifetime Legacy to Rural Sports Award for the sport. He is also the…
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Whales and dolphins stuck on inland farm
Sheep and cattle graze where whales and dolphins once swam 25 million years ago. Bones from their skeletons are fossilised in cliffs on Grant Neal's farm at Duntroon in North Otago.
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Hot demand for Koko
One of the biggest cocoa producers in Samoa has seen a huge surge in orders and says they're from Samoans abroad wanting a taste of home.
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Growing the workforce - Vegetable producer offers bonus for turning up to work
LeaderBrand's CEO Richard Burke says seasonal workers are very difficult to attract so his company happily offers a range of benefits, including a bonus for turning up, in order to secure a committed…
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Full Episode for Friday August 6 2021
A team of Kurow locals transform an island in the braids of the Waitaki River from a messy landfill into a recreational and ecological area for people, wildlife and the environment. Farming mini paua…
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Farming Pāua - the black pearl of the ocean
A Bluff-based operation is farming cocktail-sized pāua using the pristine waters of Foveaux Strait. The New Zealand Abalone Company (TNZAC) is hoping to sell two million of the mini pāua every year.
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Pioneering new food in Southland
It's hoped the newly opened Southern Pioneers' Food Hub will help launch products developed from Southland's food bounty to the world.
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Waitaki River island gets much needed makeover
It's taken years for a team of dedicated Kurow locals to transform an island in the braids of the river from a messy landfill into a recreational and ecological park.
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Full Episode for Friday July 30 2021
Cosmo Kentish-Barnes speaks to a pig farmer known as Lord Havoc about his free range pig farm in South Canterbury and Sally Round finds out how highly-prized Japanese style table grapes are grown in…
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Summer Series - Free-range farmer wants his hogs to be happy
Lord Havoc has a passion for pigs. Ian Jackson runs the Havoc Pork free range piggery in South Canterbury. Sows at the outdoor farm spend their days fossicking for roots, grubs and worms while their…
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