This week we catch up with Country-Wide’s Spring issue Home Block columnists from around the country to find out what’s happening in their patch. From yearling bull sales and cyclone recovery in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, to challenging lambing conditions in Southland, our four farmers discuss the challenges and rewards of farming in each of their regions.   

Guests include:

1. Max Tweedie, Farmer, Hawke’s Bay
2. Ben Dooley, Farmer, Southland
3. Anna Munro, Farmer, Mid-Canterbury
4. Sandra Matthews, Farmer, Tairāwhiti Gisborne

Hosts:

1. Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
2. Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

Hawke’s Bay farmer Max Tweedie discusses how the lambing and calving season has been going on his farm. He also tells us how the yearling bull sale went for him this year, and what he’s noticing about the traits customers are looking for over time.

Southland farmer Ben Dooley says it has been a relatively good winter, thanks to good grass covers to make sure sheep have feed, but it was a tough September coming into spring. Lamb survival has been impacted, and as he says, your whole year's work can be taken away by 18 days of bad weather. He shares some tips on how to keep motivated when times are tough.

Mid Canterbury farmer Anna Munro is in the thick of lambing, and has had a good run of weather for it, however feed levels have been low due to a dry autumn and winter. She also discusses her rural-focussed photography business, and participating in the autumn muster up at Lake Heron Station.

Tairāwhiti Gisborne farmer Sandra Matthews was the winner of the FMG Rural Champion Award at the 2022 Beef + Lamb NZ Awards, for her involvement in her local community. She discusses the impact land loss has had on their farming system, and the importance of having community - for her that has been Rural Women New Zealand.

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Read the new Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here

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