It's shaping up to be an experienced field for the 2012 Grand Final of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest.

Zespri has announced a possible recovery pathway from the devastating vine disease, Psa, which would see a broad-scale release of a new gold variety, known as Gold3 over the next three years.

Tickets for the Grand Final of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest went on sale yesterday.

ANGER AT Zespri marketing mistakes and Government responses to the Psa-V crisis reached boiling point last week with a grower-organised meeting at the Te Puke hall on Friday.

WHETHER NEW Zealand moves to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), or what the next steps are in a co-ordinated approach to control the disease, will be up for debate next month at a meeting of the BVD steering committee.

It came down to the wire in Greymouth at the Tasman Regional Final of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest on Saturday (February 18).

All hands are on deck today at Fonterra Brands New Zealand's (FBNZ) Takanini site as the first Fonterra Milk for Schools packs make their way down the production line and into the coolstore to wait for their ride to school.

Swedes who recently visited an award-winning Waikato farm were impressed by our farming, says the New Zealand Farm Environment (NZFE) Trust.

Tucked away in the top north-west corner of the South Island the stunningly scenic Golden Bay area is home to three wineries. While part of the wider Nelson region, Golden Bay has slipped under the radar from a winemaking point of view. However when you look at the climate and soil structures it is not surprising there are some outstanding wines being produced in the region.

Abloke not given to self-promotion, Phil Holden says he is called Mr Gimblett Gravels – a well-deserved moniker given the many trophy-winning wines this Villa Maria vineyard manager has grown on the group's sites just west of Hastings.