Cosmo Kentish Barnes

Thousands of perfectly shaped trees are harvested in the lead-up to the festive season at Andrew McAllister's Needle Fresh Christmas tree farm Swannanoa. In a next door paddock he's created a huge… Audio

Now it's time for Country Life and this week, the team brings you stories about the rodeo world and an old rural homestead which has been turned into a sumptuous retreat. Audio

Sustainability, animal welfare and forging a connection between producer and consumer is at the core of how things are done at Ellis Creek Farm, near the Abel Tasman National Park in Golden Bay. Audio

This week the team meets a farming family in Golden Bay who grow, process and sell homegrown meat direct to the public. Audio

This week, there's cheese and eggs on the menu with visits to poultry and goat farms. The team also takes a closer look at what's in the pipeline for farmers to help lower emissions. Audio

Tony Hitchcock crafts trugs, wooden garden baskets made from willow or hazel and poplar sourced from Golden Bay. The hardy carry-alls have been lugging veggies and fruit into kitchens for hundreds of… Audio

This week Country Life's learning about the art of making garden trugs and growing heirloom tomatoes and they'll take you to a farm growing trees, sheep and beef in the Far North. Audio

This week Country Life's on a dairy farm where school kids are planting habitat for the endangered Canterbury Grass Skink and learning about biodiversity and pest control. Audio

No looking back for dairy farming couple who eliminated imported feed and synthetic fertilisers, including nitrogen and switched to mineral fertilisers. Audio

This week Country Life chats to a horse mad Waikato woman training to be a saddler, meets a dairy farming couple who dairy no longer use imported feed and synthetic fertilisers, and heads out on a… Audio

Scientists look at the details underpinning nitrogen and its use in agriculture, horticulture and its impacts on the environment. Audio

Picking, grading and packing for export is in full swing at Prebbleton Peonies near Christchurch. Most of the large, fragrant flowers are flown daily to Japan, the United States and Europe. Audio

This week Country Life chats to a veterinarian at Wellington Zoo's animal hospital, Te Kohanga, about caring for native birds brought in to the centre and we're at a forum where scientists discuss the… Audio

Country Life visited Nova Trust's farm near Christchurch where the charity is helping rehabilitate addicts through horticulture. Audio

This week Country Life chats to a rural vet, visits a farm where horticulture is helping addicts recover and finds out about a ground breaking plan to capture greenhouse gases for feeding farm… Audio

The last time Country Life visited John Legg's Leeston dairy farm, he was adopting regenerative practices across the property. Five years later, he tells Cosmo it's been a big learning curve but he's… Audio

This week Country Life catches up with a dairy farmer embracing regenerative farming, a Gisborne flower farmer who makes beautiful bouquets between juggling two young kids and finds out how a farm… Audio

This week Country Life joins the Girls Who Grow programme helping bridge the urban-rural divide and get more young women into the primary sector and the team meet two North Canterbury hunters helping… Audio

Ocean views makes harvesting of iceberg lettuce and broccoli a lot more pleasant for Ben Scott and staff at his winter grown vegetables farm in North Canterbury. Audio

This week Country Life checks in on Miley sheepdog in training - and joins Katikati College students learning more about a future in horticulture. Audio