Sheep
Silver Fern Farms blames Ashburton plant closure on lack of sheep
The CEO of Silver Fern Farms, Dean Hamilton, says the decision follows a continued decline in regional sheep numbers. Video, Audio
Knock Out The Needle
Marlborough farmer Tim Struthers has spent several years trying to control Chilean Needle Grass on his sheep and beef farm near Seddon. The invasive weed can out-compete pasture grasses and its seed… Audio
Woolly fugitive caught after weeks on the lam
A rambunctious wild ram is finally "behind baaaars" after alarming motorists on Dunedin's northern motorway by jumping out at cars.
Ramming it home
Tim and Sue Anderson have run Mt Guardian Perendales on their farm at Conway Flat since the mid '60s. Their son Woody is keen to take over the stud when his parents retire. Audio
Let's Shake On It
Rob and Lydia Armstrong's house at Conway Flat was badly damaged by last November's earthquake. The sheep and beef farmers hope to start rebuilding as soon as the insurance paperwork is signed off. Audio, Gallery
Australian Fire and Flood
ABC rural news editor Brett Worthington fills us in on how farmers in New South Wales are getting on after days of temperatures in the high 30's .. the hottest day up to 47 degrees. Fires have ravaged… Audio
NZ's sheep numbers shorn
There are now fewer than six sheep per person in New Zealand, largely due to a rise in dairy farming.
Wool Woes
Returns for wool have taken a dive. Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre spokeserson Rick Powdrell says the demand from Chinese buyers has dropped right off and returns following the Brexit vote have… Audio
NZ's ongoing sheep export saga continues with Saudi deal
Analysis -The Saudi sheep deal is not the first chapter in New Zealand's on-again, off-again relationship with live sheep exports to the Middle East, writes Kim Griggs.
Beth Shapiro: mammoths, genetics and de-extinction
Kim Hill talks to molecular palaeontologist Professor Beth Shapiro, who is Director for Conservation at the University of California Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, and Research Associate of the Denver… Audio
A Tripp Down Memory Lane
Tony Tripp has created a museum dedicated to rural memorabilia on Snowdon Station where he has been farming since 1961. In one of the sheds is a 1929 Bentley with a tow bar that Lucy Wills, the… Audio, Gallery
Clear the board
Dave Te Kapa's shearing gang is pre-lamb shearing 1000 ewes a day at Snowdon Station in the Canterbury high country. Snowdon's owners, Roy Veronese and Annabel Tripp operate a Perendale stud alongside… Audio, Gallery
Govt ponies up $12m for sheep milk
Growing demand for sheep milk products has prompted the government to invest $12 million into a new partnership with a Taupō-based company.
John and Mary Lee: the Cardrona Valley
Kim Hill talks to John Lee, CNZM, and his wife Mary, who farmed in the Cardrona Valley in Central Otago, developing a ski field and cross-country skiing area and turning the valley into a tourist… Audio, Gallery
Looking After the Land
Sheep farming and environmental responsibility go hand in hand on 80-year-old Malcolm Mackenzie's 193 hectare farm near Winton in Southland. Over time he has planted shelter belts of native species… Audio
Philip Armstrong: sheep
Kim Hill talks to the Head of the Department of English at the University of Canterbury, and co-director of New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies about his new book, Sheep. Audio
Coastal Conversion
Ian and Heather Smith have been farming sheep and cattle on their Southland farm in Waimahaka for three decades. Two years ago they decided to build a rotary milking shed, bought 450 cows and… Audio, Gallery
The Water of my Land
They don't agree about much, but at least they're willing to speak up. Waikari artist, writer and environmentalist Sam Mahon meets with Medbury dairy farmer Dave Hislop to discuss their different… Audio
Shear Pace
Gisborne businesswoman Storm Baynes-Ryan has developed Shear Pace, a new app that assists sheep shearers with setting shearing tally goals and achieving them. Audio
Fieldwork in Tibet
A team of Lincoln University scientists are conducting a sustainable grasslands research programme on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau. The team is led by soil scientist Dr Jim Moir. Audio