Country-Wide

Country-Wide Country-Wide is your premium agribusiness magazine & podcast for advice every season!

Country-Wide is New Zealand’s only dedicated pastoral and arable farming magazine, available on subscription. It is a trusted farm management publication, delivering content on red meat, wool and arable farming topics. Each issue gives you independent, credible and often exclusive information to help run your farm business better.

Taranaki farmer Ed Whiting has transformed Airport Farm into a data-driven operation using MSD Animal Health’s SenseHub ...
02/11/2025

Taranaki farmer Ed Whiting has transformed Airport Farm into a data-driven operation using MSD Animal Health’s SenseHub Dairy technology — proving that smarter systems can simplify work while improving animal performance.

By integrating collars, milk sensors, and automated drafting into one cloud-based platform, Ed’s team now makes real-time decisions based on each cow’s unique needs, from condition-based drying off to early health interventions.

Read the full story on Ed Whiting’s high-tech dairy system in CountryWide Spring.
https://hubs.la/Q03R30Lq0

Most Kiwis don’t realise the bread on their table is likely made from imported wheat, not grain grown on our own soil.A ...
01/11/2025

Most Kiwis don’t realise the bread on their table is likely made from imported wheat, not grain grown on our own soil.

A new ‘NZ Grown Grains’ logo will soon make it easier to choose bread, cereals, and other foods proudly made from locally grown crops.

From farmers to bakers to everyday consumers, this campaign brings us closer to a more self-sufficient, sustainable food system, one that celebrates the quality and identity of New Zealand-grown grain.

Read the full story in CountryWide Spring - available online or order your copy today.
https://hubs.la/Q03R30rW0

In North Canterbury, the Zino family are proving that legumes are the powerhouse behind high-performance sheep, beef, an...
31/10/2025

In North Canterbury, the Zino family are proving that legumes are the powerhouse behind high-performance sheep, beef, and deer farming. Their entire farm system is built around growing the right legume in the right place, from lucerne under irrigation to subterranean and red clovers on drier or heavier soils.

By feeding ewes well and leveraging the productivity of sub clover, they’re achieving exceptional lamb growth rates over 350g/day for 100 days, and selling up to 90% of their lamb crop prime at weaning. It’s a low-cost, high-profit model built on deep knowledge of land, feed, and stock performance.

Read the full story in SHEEP COUNTRY 2025
https://hubs.la/Q03R2_ns0

31/10/2025

Nationwide breeders are teaming up through the Shedding Sheep Improvement Group to lift genetics, cut workload, and boost performance in shedding sheep.

Find out more by listening to the SHEEP Country podcast episode featuring Daniel Wheeler, the group manager of the Shedding group.

When Kaipara farmer Mark Withers joined BigBuddy to mentor 12-year-old Kobi, he hoped to make a difference, but ended up...
25/10/2025

When Kaipara farmer Mark Withers joined BigBuddy to mentor 12-year-old Kobi, he hoped to make a difference, but ended up finding friendship, purpose, and a reminder of what really matters.

Through time spent on the farm, Kobi has discovered a love for the land and a growing interest in agriculture, a spark that could shape his future. Their bond has seen them through setbacks and recovery, proving that connection and care can truly change a young life.

Read their full story in CountryWide Spring.
https://hubs.la/Q03PQ27B0

Getting the timing right between lambing, lactation, and pasture growth can make or break your spring season.Beef + Lamb...
23/10/2025

Getting the timing right between lambing, lactation, and pasture growth can make or break your spring season.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand's guide to feed planning highlights three key focuses:
🌱 Lambing as your pasture climbs – Align lambing dates with your pasture growth curve to avoid underfed ewes and overgrazed paddocks.
🥛 High-energy pasture for the first six weeks – Ewes need 15–20 MJ ME/day at peak milk; maintain a rising plane of quality feed for both ewes and lambs.
🐑 Flexible weaning – Adjust weaning dates to pasture height and feed competition, and move lambs to clean, legume-rich paddocks.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand are forming new focus groups for farmers passionate about improving lamb survival. Spaces are limited — register your interest at https://hubs.la/Q03PQ3pN0

Read more practical insights in CountryWide Spring.

Image 1: Brad Hanson

In an open letter to New Zealand farmers, Aro hā Wellness Retreat Co-Founder Damian Chaparro reflects on the quiet resil...
21/10/2025

In an open letter to New Zealand farmers, Aro hā Wellness Retreat Co-Founder Damian Chaparro reflects on the quiet resilience that defines rural life, and the cost of carrying on without pause.

From farmers to builders, nurses to parents, he’s seen what happens when people finally stop: they reconnect, breathe deeper, and remember who they are beneath the busyness.

Read Damian Chaparro’s full letter in CountryWide Spring: https://hubs.la/Q03Np7MV0

On their Te Pahu hill-country farm, Heather Gilbert and Elliot Kent have turned challenging terrain into a thriving beef...
19/10/2025

On their Te Pahu hill-country farm, Heather Gilbert and Elliot Kent have turned challenging terrain into a thriving beef business through intensive cell grazing.

As part of Beef + Lamb New Zealand Monitor Farm programme, the Waikato couple have boosted production, improved pasture quality, and enhanced environmental outcomes - all while lifting profitability.

By fencing steep slopes, planting mānuka and pines, and refining their grazing systems, they’ve not only reduced drench use but proven that smart management can regenerate both land and livelihoods.

Read the full story in CountryWide Spring: https://hubs.la/Q03Np8470

As wearable technologies become commonplace on New Zealand dairy farms, their impact on animal welfare is coming under f...
16/10/2025

As wearable technologies become commonplace on New Zealand dairy farms, their impact on animal welfare is coming under fresh review.

Veterinarian and welfare consultant Matthew Stone says while tools like collars and virtual fencing are improving management and efficiency, they also raise important ethical and behavioural questions.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) is updating the Animal Welfare Code: Dairy Cattle to include guidance on these technologies, aiming to balance innovation with animal wellbeing and public confidence.

Learn more in CountryWide Spring Issue: https://hubs.la/Q03Np7T20

14/10/2025

Today we’re celebrating the women at the heart of our rural communities - the farmers, mothers, business owners, storytellers, and changemakers who keep our countryside thriving.

A huge thank you to every woman who has shared her story, wisdom, and voice through CountryWide over the past year. Your experiences inspire and strengthen the greater ag community every day.

Featuring:
Imogen Brankin – 2025 Primary Industry Emerging Award Winner

Margaret Vickers – Rural Women New Zealand member for 57 years

Michelle Pan – Owner of Healthy n Fresh, NZ, growing hydroponic produce

Ginny Dodunski – Wormwise Programme Manager; NZVA Veterinary Impact Award winner

Gemma McDougall – Ataahua Blooms

Sandra Campbell – Oakwood Farm, South Otago – innovating with native planting

Laura Watson – Monowai Station, Gisborne

Gillian Swinton – Author and Homestead guru

Alice Satterthwaite – Muller Station

Sarah How & Tara Dwyer – Landify co-founders

Bella Taylor – Farm Technician, Pāmu Te Anau Basin

Karen Williams – CEO, Irrigation New Zealand Inc

14/10/2025

In a bid to curb farmland inflation, policymakers unintentionally squeezed the lifeblood out of New Zealand’s most productive sector.

Now, with policy settings shifting back toward balance, the challenge is ensuring capital once again flows where it matters most: into the land that feeds and sustains New Zealand.

Explore the full analysis in CountryWide Spring.
https://hubs.la/Q03MHbVF0

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Country-Wide is New Zealand’s only dedicated pastoral and arable farming magazine, available on subscription.

It is a trusted, top farm management, monthly publication focused on making farmers more money in a sustainable way.

It concentrates on what happens behind the farm gate, giving readers independent, credible and often exclusive information to help them run their farm businesses better.