This week Country Life talks to researchers who say there’s potential for the brown kiwi to become a pest patroller in orchards and vineyards. Mark Leishman pulls on his Country Life gumboots to meet an entrepreneur behind an intriguing gateway made of the toughest timber – ironbark, and a visit to a Waikato farming family who’ve been integrating robotics and automation into their dairy operation.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

In this episode:

• 0:36 - Kiwi on pest patrol
• 14:33 - Rural News Wrap
• 18:32 - Ironbark - the wood as hard as steel
• 32:51 - Tech is key on this Tirau dairy farm

With thanks to guests:

• Isobel Castro and Karen Mason
• Steve Evans
• Brett and Linda Coubrough

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Send us your feedback or get in touch at country@rnz.co.nz

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When it comes to farming, planning for the next season today is key, says the Coubrough family. The 5th generation dairying family is are all on the same page - they want robotics to milk the cows for them.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

With thanks to:

• Brett and Linda Coubrough

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Ever wondered what happened to some of the damaged timber from the Lyttelton wharves after the Canterbury earthquakes? The tough ironbark they were made from was too good not to be rescued and Oxford's Steve Evans was just the man for the job, as Mark Leishman discovered.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

With thanks to:

• Steve Evans

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Could growers harness the kiwi as a way of reducing pests attacking their crops? A recent study has filmed the endangered birds entering vineyards and orchards at night to feast on beetles, weevils, grass grub and other insects.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

With thanks to guests:

• Isobel Castro and Karen Mason

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.

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This week Country Life is in Marlborough's back country on Molesworth Station, we check out the sale action at the Feilding saleyards and learn more about Chinese mooncakes, or suncakes as one gardener views them.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

In this episode:

• 0:30 - Mooncakes under a southern sun
• 4:37 - Rural News Wrap
• 8:47 - The 'big money' changing hands at the Feilding saleyards
• 24:41 - From the Archive: Mustering at Molesworth

With thanks to guests:

• David Ruan
• Eric Linklater
• Jim Ward

Make sure you’re following us on your favourite podcast app, so you don’t miss new episodes every Friday evening.

Send us your feedback or get in touch at country@rnz.co.nz

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It's an early start for the musterers at Molesworth Station. The bulls are out with the cows for the mating season and everyone needs to beat the heat. Country Life producer Sally Round spent a day with the stockmen, the farmer and the cook, peeling back some of the mystique of New Zealand's most famous farm.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

With thanks to:

• Jim Ward

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Global demand for red meat is driving strong prices for sheep and cattle, some of the best former Feilding farmer Eric Linklater has seen in over 20 years of guiding tours at the local saleyards.

You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.

You can find more about the tours, here.

With thanks to:

• Eric Linklater

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details