Under a Big Sky: Facing the Elements on a New Zealand Farm

by Tim Saunders

The joys and challenges of day-to-day farming in extraordinary circumstances.

Tim Saunders writes about his life and work on the farm that's been in his family for five generations. There's drought, farming during lockdown, illness, financial pressure and the drive to become more environmentally friendly.

Woven throughout is Tim's love of, and respect for, the land, animals and the environment. He describes how farming is intertwined with the weather, how the weather has changed, how the changes affect farmers and what they are doing to counteract this.

With the impact of climate change there is a need to change farming practices. Like other farmers Tim and his family are closely studying their farming system, deciding what needs to be done to survive, and how to work within the environment while feeding an ever-growing population. They look to the past to shepherd the future.

'Beautifully observed writing about valuing the land we walk on, the air we breathe, and our interconnectedness.' Joan McKenzie, Newstalk ZB

'This elegiac portrait of working the land is both pertinent and perceptive. It distils the essence of what it means to farm the land.' NZ Listener

Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2022

About the author

Tim Saunders farms sheep and beef near Palmerston North, New Zealand. He has had poetry and short stories published in Turbine|Kapohau, takahē, Landfall, Poetry NZ Yearbook, Headland, Broadsheet, Best Small Fictions, Best NZ Poems and Flash Frontier. He won the 2018 Mindfood Magazine Short Story Competition, and placed third in the 2019 and 2020 National Flash Fiction Day Awards. He was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Awards in 2021. Tim is the author of two books - This Farming Life (Allen & Unwin 2020) and Under a Big Sky (Allen & Unwin 2022).

Reviews

[Tammy Cote · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read, underlining the hardships and joys of farming life. Should be required reading for all. As agriculture faces increasing pressure from many directions, this provides real life insight into the challenges faced by the farming community as they work to feed the world.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, he doesn't hold back with some matter of fact icky realities about farming, like fly-strike and lambing. I enjoyed his writing, especially bits like when he was in the sheep yards and referring to getting squashed by 'vindictive teddy bears'. I felt like Saunders was writing about my life on the farm, there were so many similarities. I also enjoyed reading about a family working through covid lockdowns, as the experience was quite unique and it was a good reminder of the issues faced at the time.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descrptive and insightful glimpse of farm life in New Zealand. As well as meeting the demands of the bank manager, the farmers care about their animals, do their best to provide food for tables around the world, while honouring the planet and the ever present voices of their ancestors who farrmed before them. A must read.

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book about farming in New Zealand

[jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10