RNZ: Country Life

Country Life first went to air in January 1997 - it was the year the rabbit calici virus was smuggled into the country and milk trains were trialled.

In Horowhenua and it's hard to get any summer crops into the ground. Asparagus harvesting is underway but yields are down on last year. A good weather week in Canterbury has seen a flurry of activity on farms as things again dry out from a previously wet week.

On Country Life old working dogs are given a new life, the programme's just clocked up its 1000th show ...we reminisce about some of the stories covered in that first year, Waipawa Butchery in Central Hawkes Bay.

The small Māori-owned dairy company Miraka exports milk powder to 26 countries from a factory near Lake Taupo. Recently, they've expanded into value-added UHT milk and have just launched a fruit smoothie.

A series of short radio programmes produced in 1986 by Brendan Gray looking at some of New Zealand's more colourful historic hotels. From Nga Taonga Sound and Vision Archives.

Rangiora Nursery grows more four million tiny trees a year for high-quality forest and shelter tree cuttings. Owner Derrick Parry employs up to 60 seasonal workers at the busiest times.

Red needle cast is a relatively new disease hitting pine plantations in New Zealand and retarding tree growth. Plant pathologist Dr. Nari Williams has been looking at ways to manage it.

Hill country Wairarapa farmers are expecting grass growth to rocket away after recent rain. Calving is drawing to a close in Southland and lambing has settled down after a run of wet weather.

Dr Shaun Forgie is a dung beetle expert specialising in dung beetle reproduction, ecology and evolution. His company, Dung Beetle Innovations, supplies farmers with dung beetle packages to assist with the removal of pastoral dung from agricultural livestock.

Miraka on the Move, Trees-a-Plenty, Country Pubs, Beetlemania and the Regional Wrap.

There are only two guanaco studs outside of South America - one is run by Keith Payne in North Canterbury. Big Ears Llama Ranch is home to around 50 of the sturdy camelids.

For 20 years, Ross MacDonald and his teams of NZ shepherds and working dogs have entertained millions of people at farm shows in Japan.

Fruit and vegetable growers and other primary producers are looking with new eyes at the waste they produce. Now paua shells, flax, waste from grapes and kiwifruit can be used as ingredients in bio-plastics.

Canterbury is drying out, allowing crops to be planted and paddocks that were in Kale and Beet cultivated. The North Island had a very warm end to the week.

Big Ears Llama Ranch, A Canine 'Konnichiwa', Paua Plastic and the Regional Wrap.