While much of urban Australia has its chin on its chest because of Covid, out in the countryside the arrival of rain, decent crops and a government write-back allowance has put a smile back on many farmers and rural supply companies - not least machinery dealers.

Boehringer Ingelheim says it will stop manufacturing locally-produced livestock ruminant products in New Zealand by late 2022 - ending more than 50 years of local production.

A Hawera farmer is one of several farmers who has recently been convicted for failing to register his animals under the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme.

While there is clear proof that cattle, deer and pigs cause poor water quality when allowed to graze near waterways, little is known about what impact sheep have. Peter Burke reports on a research project being run by Massey University to find out more about how sheep behave around streams and waterways.