OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the job description of PR is to grease the wheels and ensure clients get good media coverage.

OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left them wishing they had kept their mouth firmly closed.

OPINION: Across rural conversations, we're heading the same tune: crisis.

OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.

OPINION: Ther'es a reason politicians rank even lower than John Campbell in the most trusted profession surveys.

OPINION: Two years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, I've learned that while the power of Mother Nature is formidable, it is more than matched by the extraordinary capacity of locals to recover and rebuild.

OPINION: I recall reading some interesting stuff way back that offered different ways to reduce stress.

OPINION: Two reports out last week confirm that the worst may be over for pastoral farmers.

OPINION: During my last recess break, I got around the country and met with many farmers and growers from Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Marlborough, and Canterbury.

OPINION: ACT MP Mark Cameron isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he certainly calls it how he sees it, holding nothing back when ‘climate scientists’ had a crack at Kiwi farmers recently: