The Country's Best Bits 2020: Most popular stories of the year

The story of Sam Owen's wayward cow was one of The Country's most popular reads of 2020. Photo / Supplied

It goes without saying that 2020 was a tumultuous year, but it did generate some great stories.

The major themes on The Country last year were Covid-19's effects on the rural sector, and farmers' concerns over the Government's environmental policies.

Therefore it's fitting that the top article of 2020 covered these bases.

However, the best of the rest were more concerned with unusual bovine activity.

So without further ado - here are The Country's top stories of 2020.

The Country's most popular stories of the year

Jane Smith: Urban New Zealand - you have been lied to

Environmentalist and farmer Jane Smith said she wanted to make urban New Zealand aware of the true long term costs of "headline-grabbing heroic environmental crusades" - and she didn't hold back.

Smith is well-known on The Country for her forthright interview style, and this translated to her writing, in the most popular opinion piece and article of 2020.

Read all about it here: Jane Smith: Urban New Zealand - you have been lied to

Farmer's inventive solution to get cow out of swimming pool

"How do you get a cow out of your swimming pool?" sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it was an actual dilemma for Waikato dairy farmer Sam Owen.

Luckily Owen is an inventive Kiwi farmer and managed to get his wayward cow out of the pool and back in the mob. His story was the second most popular read of 2020.

Find out how to get a cow out of your swimming pool here: Farmer's inventive solution to get cow out of swimming pool

Why farmers are painting eyes on cows' backsides

Coming in at number three was this scientific study in Botswana, where farmers were protecting their cattle from predators by - painting eyes on their rumps.

Apparently lions were a less inclined to attack if they thought they were given the "bum steer" - sorry, couldn't resist.

Read all about it here: Why farmers are painting eyes on cows' backsides

Bull sold for $92,000

Angus Bull Week in Gisborne got off to a meteoric start in June last year, when the very first bull to go under the hammer went for a jaw-dropping $92,000.

Even though this article was short, it punched well above its weight and came in as the fourth most popular read of 2020.

Have a read here: Bull sold for $92,000