RNZ: Country Life

KPMG's global head of agribusiness, Ian Proudfoot, has five topics on his mind: new food protein choices, large multi-national companies swallowing up small companies, Biosecurity issues in New Zealand, farmer resilience, and Mount Albert Grammar School's farm.

Taranaki farmers have been mucking in together and sharing generators to get cows milked. There's cleaning up to do following damage from former cyclone Gita.

Country Life meets a couple who try to live self sufficiently on their piece of paradise in the Kauaeranga Valley, near Thames.

Country Life heads to the top of Mount Murchison for the 2018 Hang Gliding Nationals.

The Wool Testing Authority in Napier tests bales of wool for fibre length, colour, micron, moisture and vegetable matter so that buyers know exactly what they're buying. The testing lets them predict how that particular bale of wool will perform once it's scoured and ready for the next stage of processing. The WTA also tests other textiles such as hi viz material to see it meets NZ codes of compliance.

The Mary River in the Northern Territory is one of the most croc-populated waterways in the world. It's also the boundary for Annaburroo Station, and that causes big problems for Adrian Phillips who estimates he loses more than a 100 head of cattle each year in crocodile attacks. From ABC reporter Lisa Herbert.

Hawkes Bay apple growers are flat out harvesting Royal Gala, which account for about 40 percent of regions apple crop. Plums are being picked and apple and pear harvesting is due to start soon in Central Otago.

Our guest today is the co-founder of the New Zealand vanilla company Heilala Vanilla, John Ross. He's in Tonga at present where they have around 40 vanilla farmers producing for them on the island of 'Eua which was right on the path of Cyclone Gita this week. They have other farms on Vava'u which escaped damage. John's on Vava'u and he hasn't been to Eua yet, but says he can guess what it looks like because he's seen cyclone

High Fliers, Testing Time for Wool, Crocs and Cattle don't Mix, Heilala Vanilla and the Regional Wrap.

Jason and Trisha Delamore purchased Lavender Hill, a three hectare property 30 minutes north west of Auckland city, two years ago. It is a commercial enterprise with lavender plants, a lavender still, 400 olive trees, 200 lemon trees, alpacas and a B and B. They also host hundreds of overseas tourists during the lavender growing season. They've developed a Limoncello and lavender-infused gin. This is a couple who don't appear to sleep.

Last year we had a musing penned by Neville Martin. He was the Dairy Board's spokesman for many years, and he was talking about growing kohlrabi in the days well well before it was fashionable. After going to the effort of growing it, his father deemed it unfit for eating. Today he's grazing over various farming terms that he picked up as a young child during many farm visits.

Phil Tregidga's family pioneered hydroponic growing in New Zealand. Almost four decades later he's still using the hydroponic system to grow all manner of herbs and vegetables with his wife Jenny and new boss, their daughter Liz.

New Zealand apple experts are working with growers in Himachal Pradesh to improve production of the region's apple trees.

The Gisborne region is flush with feed. Some Marlborough grape growers have been battling powdery mildew and botrytis thanks to unusually moist conditions.

Our guest this week is the chief executive of New Zealand Apples and Pears, Alan Pollard. He's in Berlin, Germany at present attending a massive fresh produce trade show called Fruit Logistica. Over sixty thousand people attend the event. It's a very important show because it's the time when exporters set up their programmes into Europe for the coming season. Alan is there with New Zealand apple exporters