There are tractors balancing bins of grapes trundling down roads criss-crossing the Martinborough Wine Village. Casual street conversations start with “how are your grapes?” and the lights are on late in wineries all over town. The 2014 harvest has begun. 

At least three people in New Zealand are eagerly awaiting the first frosts of the season, if only so they can continue trials into the development of a new frost protection machine.

Two of the big names in New Zealand wine were inducted into the Wine Hall of Fame at the Easter show. Alan Brady and Larry McKenna have both played major roles in the development of their regions and the New Zealand wine story as a whole.

While coffee, coconut oil and grapes may not seem to have anything in common, a Marlborough RSE accredited contracting firm is proving otherwise.

The final judging is underway to determine the winners in the 2014 New Zealand dairy award winners.

MANY SHIFTS during her early sharemilking years taught Karen Forlong, the new North Island convenor coordinator of Dairy Womens Network, what it’s like arriving ‘fresh’ in a farming community. 

2014 HAS seen a high-demand start to my professional year with many sizeable assignments starting for new and existing clients. This reflects a combination of a buoyant dairy economy and more willingness by top operators to make themselves accountable to best practice by putting key aspects of their businesses under the spotlight.

TRACTOR MAKER New Holland Agriculture has opened a customer centre at its Jesi plant in Italy, the group’s global centre for specialty tractor production.

MOVE ASIDE vegetarians, here come ‘bettertarians’ – Australian livestock farmers with a concept for helping consumers make better-informed food choices.

MICROSOFT’S SOFTWARE Windows XP and Office 2003 are no longer supported (as of April 8). That’s not the end of the world, but it does mean it’s time to consider looking at new options in software and hardware.