Otago Daily Times News Feed

Stirring up dust in his Opel Manta 400 at the Otago Rally is Derek Ayson and his co-driver Gavin McDermott. PHOTO: GEOFF RIDDER After taking his new car for a test spin at the Otago Rally, a three-time rally winner and Gore local said there were a few issues to iron out before he takes on Wyndham.

All the guests and bridal party celebrate the big day. PHOTOS: MACKENZE LEASK Zac and Kendra Andrews did not have to go far for their wedding in February.

Bon Iver. Sable, Fable.  ★★★★   In last October’s Sable EP, Justin Vernon returned briefly to the sorrowful man-in-a-cabin vibes of Bon Iver’s breakthrough album, For Emma, Forever Ago.

Legendary entertainer Jackie Clarke is bringing her show to Gore. PHOTO: SUPPLIED New Zealand celebrity Jackie Clarke is bringing her glitzy cabaret to the land of the rolling "r".

VALERIE JUNE: OWLS, OMENS AND  ORACLES. ★★★★   While current global events would seem more likely to inspire dark or depressed music, the Tennessee-based, Grammy-nominated, Bob Dylan-favoured Americana singer-songwriter Valerie June is pushing back.

Canterbury-North Otago Share Farmers of the Year Nikita Baker and Richard Grabham celebrate their win. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Ashburton couple Richard Grabham and Nikita Baker know every nook and corner of their contract milking business.

T&G has just announced the first planting of its new Joli apple variety in Canterbury. Photo: T&G New Zealand fruit and vegetable giant T&G has set in motion the first commercial planting of Joli apples in Canterbury backed by superannuation funds.

Rural residents are urged to ensure their drinking water supply is safe. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES With winter setting in and wetter conditions on the way, Environment Canterbury is encouraging rural landowners to check and test their private bores to make sure their drinking water stays safe.

Fire is no foe for South Island Wilding Conifer Group former chairman Hamish Roxburgh when it comes to controlling wilding conifers. PHOTOS: TIM CRONSHAW Funding cuts are expected to push the wilding conifer problem into a "major migraine" for vulnerable high country farmland such as Molesworth and Muller stations.

Glens of Tekoa Station’s Beau McRae tells a large crowd about the early days of farming in the Amuri district at a high country field day by Federated Farmers. PHOTO: TIM CRONSHAW A convoy of high country farmers was treated to a history of merino farming at a North Canterbury field day by Federated Farmers.

Retired Lowry Hills farmer Doug Archbold has survived many medical setbacks and packed a lifetime of experience in his eight decades. He tells all in his self-published memoir: More Than Just a Farmer .PHOTO: TIM CRONSHAW A retired Lowry Hills farmer has just signed off as an author after a successful book run raising money for charities dear to his heart, writes Tim Cronshaw.

Hari Hari farmer and backyard engineer Jock Nolan, left, and Plucks Engineering managing director Neil Pluck have joined together to manufacture and sell the Hose Runner, a device to shift stockwater hoses. PHOTOS: TIM CRONSHAW A West Coast farmer can thank his children for a lightbulb moment to take the back-breaking work out of shifting stockwater hoses.

Repost co-founder Greg Coppell repurposes old vineyard posts to turn them into good-as-new farming posts, saving thousands of tonnes of timber from landfill. He and wife Dansy won the Agri-Innovations Awards at the South Island Agricultural Field Days at Canterbury’s Kirwee. PHOTO: TIM CRONSHAW Marlborough’s Repost is shaving costly time turning old treated vineyard posts into good-as-new farming posts with their own machinery.

PHOTO: TIM CRONSHAW Mid Canterbury's John and Jane Harrison are impressed with how cashmere goals are controlling thistles and improving pasture quality on their Temora Downs mixed farm.

Dr Scott Champion is replacing Dr Alison Stewart as chief executive of the industry body Foundation for Arable Research. Photo: FAR Former Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive Dr Scott Champion will take over the leadership of the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR).

Ashley Howard presented the inaugural Erin Howard Memorial Trophy to Taylor Thomas and her pony Windward Cassidy of Owaka at the Good Friday gymkhana. PHOTO: GEORGIE MCGREGOR The Strath Taieri Pony Club has paid heartfelt tribute to a beloved coach, mother and horsewoman with the introduction of the Erin Howard Memorial Trophy — an award that celebrates not only horsemanship in young people but also the caring spirit of a woman who gave so much to the equestrian community.

Harihari farmer and backyard engineer Jock Nolan, left, and Plucks Engineering managing director Neil Pluck have joined together to manufacture and sell the Hose Runner, a device to shift stockwater hoses. PHOTO: TIM CRONSHAW A West Coast farmer can thank his children for a lightbulb moment to take the back-breaking work out of shifting stockwater hoses.

Looking for something special to bake for Mother’s Day?

The elephant in the room as I tasted these wines was the likelihood of the United States imposing tariffs on all our agricultural products.

Photo: Simon Lambert I was overjoyed when I saw the buttercup pumpkins.