This week on Country Life, Kiwi and Aussie dairy farmers gather in Leeston to explore regenerative, low-input farming methods aimed at improving sustainability and profitability, and a look at the ancient skill of using a scythe with a Coromandel woman who's encouraging others to take up the sharp-bladed tools.

More than 70 farmers, researchers and advisors from New Zealand and Australia gathered in Leeston, to share lessons on low-input, regenerative dairy practices - swapping science, stories and solutions for farming's future.

Beth Pearsall wants to revive the ancient skill of scything. She loves swishing the sharp-bladed tool through her own garden and holds workshops to teach others about the scythe and its uses.

Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney and brewers at Young Henrys are using algae to remove carbon dioxide from the brewing process, which can then be fed to livestock to help cut down methane emissions.

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.

This week Country Life learns more about a dairy alternative made from barley and how farm life influences a Waitaki illustrator's work. The team also revisits a Cambridge farming family using regenerative agriculture to finish sheep and cattle they process for their butchery, Wholly Cow.

The Andrews family has gone from selling farm-raised meats at the Cambridge Farmers' Market to running their own butchery, adding a micro-abattoir, tannery and tallow production to complete the whole.

Emma Nowell transforms life on the land into art, children's stories and games, while keeping the farm and family at the heart of it all.

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.

A new barley, bred for high fibre and low waste, is being turned into milk and yoghurt - a sustainable alternative with benefits for farmers and big potential in the global dairy-free market.

This week Country Life learns more about a woman trialling growing rice at her home in Nelson, we check in with dog trainer Chris and his young star Miley one last time and we take a look back through the archives to revisit the battle for the West Coast's top rugby prize, the Woodham Shield.

A trip to the archives where tradition meets passion as four South Westland teams compete for the region's foremost rugby prize, the Woodham Shield.

For the past year, Country Life has been in the yards or out in the paddock watching Wairarapa dog triallist Chris Shaw train up his latest working dog, Miley - a young Huntaway that's got that "X-factor".

Pretty much the last place you'd think you'd find a rice paddy growing is on a hill in Nelson, but Yuki Fukuda is doing just that.

A round-up of the week's news from the primary sector.