It’s an old adage: “to make great wine, you must first have great grapes”. And it’s something extolled by winemakers with religious fervour. Granted, it’s often said in humble modesty – one cannot discount the efforts of talented winemakers – but there is great truth in not only the selection of great sites to plant grapes, but the growing of those grape into world class wines.

Vintage 2013 was the largest ever in New Zealand’s history. On the back of some stunning summer and autumn weather, the quality was also high.

If the ferocity of the wind on January 1st, (where I was) was anything to go by, 2014 blew its way into existence in style. Goodbye to the past 12 months, and welcome to the next.

DAIRY FARMER cooperative, LIC, has bought the assets and business of Waikato-based Dairy Automation Limited (DAL).

TAINUI GROUP Holdings, Ngai Tahu Capital and Pioneer Capital have bought dairy technology company Waikato Milking Systems.The company was sold by majority shareholder UPC Capital and managing director John Anderson with settlement on March 31.

RURAL BUSINESSES and residents of Levin have celebrated the roll out of high speed internet, with Farmside signing up its 1000th customer to fixed wireless rural broadband under the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).

APPLICATIONS FOR this year's Rabobank's prestigious Executive Development Program are officially open.

ONE OF the world's leading salmon egg producers is working with AgResearch to develop genomic selection in Atlantic salmon.

FONTERRA PLANS a $32 million expansion of its slice-on-slice cheese capacity at its Collingwood St site in Eltham, Taranaki.

THE SECOND national conference on biological farming systems has been gaining popularity with farmers, researchers and biological companies.