Posts

Anty

Argentine Ants - Photo Chris Green - DOC

The other day, walking with a bucket full of vegetable and fruit scraps, past the ancient plum tree, down to the compost bin, I noticed one of the main branches of the tree, almost eight inches thick  looked a bit rotten. It was so rotten that it might easily be broken off, so with an […]

Raising Ostriches – African Blue Neck

Brutus, ostrich rooster on the Penell farm in Far North, New Zealand - Photo Theresa Sjoquist

Keeping African Blue Neck Ostriches. Basics on raising ostriches for harvesting of meat. Blue neck Ostriches are huge flightless birds native to the arid interior of the African continent. Aggressive Males A new male introduced to a paddock will be insecure and somewhat manageable for a few days, but beyond that he takes charge. A […]

Dragline – Opening up Northern New Zealand

Smith 12 Ton Dragline - Photo Theresa Sjoquist

Draglines and their skilled operators opened up Northern NZ but hydraulics have largely replaced them; despite the lesser reach of a hydraulic machine. In Northland, New Zealand, draglines were critical to opening up much of the swamp-ridden region, thereby enabling its conversion to farm land. Draglines Provide Swamp Excavation Sixty years ago draglines became widely […]