Patchy showers have fallen in the central, northern and eastern North Island this morning, but barely enough to top up water tanks and penetrate dry soil.

The big dry has parts of the country firmly in its grip. The Government has declared a drought in Northland and is expected to do so in Waikato.

The rural sector drives our economy. Yet there are surprisingly few opportunities for townies to invest in it. It is, of course, possible to buy a farm. This, however, is out of the financial reach of most investors.

Dry weather has forced many farmers to sell their stock much earlier than usual - and there are fears things will get worse.

The days when there were 20 sheep for every Kiwi are long gone.

Editorial: Since the 1980s, scientists have been warning about the declining water quality in lakes around Rotorua, some of the country's most beautiful and popular.

An important fertiliser aid has been culled from farmers' chemical shopping lists after it turned up in milk products destined for human consumption.

A trial involving five parties linked to the running of Crafar Farms who face hundreds of charges between them of animal abuse has been postponed.

Evidence showing cattle getting into rivers and anecdotal stories of animals being slaughtered next to streams have renewed calls for the introduction of a bylaw to exclude stock from Hawkes Bay's waterways.

As 2012 draws to a close there is no such thing as the "good old days" when it comes to water use in town or country.

Fonterra's Trading Among Farmers (TAF) share trading scheme received its final, albeit retrospective, seal of approval at the annual meeting yesterday.

More than 20 sheep were killed after a car ploughed into a stray flock northeast of Wairoa.

New Zealand's milk production leaped 11.3 per cent last season, the most productive on record.

Farmers, industries and other large users may be charged for water under a new policy being developed, Finance Minister Bill English has indicated.