Country Life for Friday 24 June 2011

21:05 Regional Wrap

Warm, wet conditions are the order of the day around the North Island while in the South, pruning's in full swing and ewe scanning continues in most regions.

21:13 Vitally Valuable Vet

Theresa Hoyle set up a veterinary practice in the small rural town of Wairoa four years ago. She now employs a second vet and two trained vet nurses. She helps the SPCA fundraise to help pay for medical treatment for the animals, she does house calls for the elderly and poor and runs first aid classes for working dogs.

Wairoa vet Theresa Hoyle, at home with her much-loved horses.

21:30 Marama Farm

For decades Marama Farm, which sits on the green hills above Waipahi in South Otago, was a conventional sheep farm but now it's an organically certified sheep and beef operation owned by brothers Ian and Graham Clarke. In te reo Māori, Marama means both "moon" and "month" which is highly appropriate as Graham is influenced by biodynamic farming, which relies heavily on the moon's cycles for planting. Recently Cosmo Kentish-Barnes met up with Graham and his partner Giselle McLachlan on the farm to find out how things are going.

Graham Clarke, Giselle McLachlan and stock Manager David McBain on Marama Organic Farm in South Otago.