Stories by Alexa Cook

A couple whose farm near was badly damaged in the 2004 and 2015 Whanganui floods says better preparation means they've got off lightly this time around.

Police are investigating a possible breach of Zespri's intellectual property rights after kiwifruit varieties were transferred and planted in China illegally.

Hundreds of Taranaki dairy farmers won't comply with the new bobby calf laws by 1 August, because they have not had enough information on the changes, says Federated Farmers.

A shearing business in Waiau is struggling to find accommodation for staff, and says it feels like the rural sector is not getting enough help.

Infected dairy cows pose a risk to humans, a new study of Leptospirosis has found. Audio

A New Zealand company has produced a new breed of dairy cow which can keep producing decent amounts of milk in hot and humid conditions.

The government's reduction of commercial catch limits accounts for illegal fishing and is cheating the industry, the New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry says.

Phill Hunt spends about $15,000 a year controlling rabbits on his Queenstown farm. He is angry paper-pushing delayed a much-anticipated rabbit virus by a year.

Universities are at loggerheads over how to address the rural doctor shortage.

A red tape tangle has delayed the release of a much-anticipated new strain of rabbit virus by at least a year.

Cases of the potentially deadly infection leptospirosis jumped by nearly half last year, compared to 2015.

Airborne substances such as pesticides and exhaust fumes accounted for 97 deaths in the agriculture sector in a single year, WorkSafe has found.

People who dive or fish for crayfish off the north-east of the North Island think size and availability of crayfish is down, according to a survey.

Venison exporters have been hit in the pocket by a drop in the British pound.

"At the moment ... farmers [choose] Fonterra, but once we start to go down this track, it's Fonterra choosing farmers."

Farmers' mood at the Central Districts Fieldays is much more optimistic than last year because of a more promising dairy outlook, International tractor company Case IH says.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has announced over $2 million worth of funding for the agricultural sector at the Central Districts Fieldays today.

Thirty-eight fewer farms were sold in the past three months than the same period a year ago.

Farmers say growing the dairy industry and reducing agriculture's environmental footprint is achievable, despite the Ministry for the Environment saying otherwise.

Wet weather is jeopardising this year's grape crop, Gisborne winegrowers say.

Interest in sheep milking is increasing, but farmers are wary of any sudden influx of new participants into the industry.

The Hilux Rural Games have descended on Manawatu for the first time in the event's history, kicking off with 1000 sheep making a 500m dash down Feilding's main street. Video

It is disappointing some dairy farmers still don't have adequate effluent systems for their herd numbers, the Waikato Regional Council says.