Fresh golfing turf delivers top shot

This photo of turf being laid at Cape Kidnappers golf course by Benjamin McLean, of Napier, won the sports turf category of the Primary ITO 2014 calendar competition.

Green grass
It's out in the sticks a bit, and plenty of farmers are known to have a dabble at it, so golf does find a place in Heartland, via this photo taken by Benjamin McLean, of Napier.

Winner of the sports turf category of the Primary ITO calendar competition, it shows the green stuff being laid at Cape Kidnappers golf course.

Over 800 entries were submitted in the competition run by the primary industries training organisation, which was formed in a merger of AgITO and NZ HortITO.

An image of fresh winter-morning mustering at Mt Heron Station in Mid-Canterbury was the overall winner of the competition run in four sections, covering the diverse range of agriculture, horticulture, sports turf, equine and water industries training.

"The images showcase the stunning environment that the people who work with New Zealand's natural resources get to enjoy on a daily basis," a Primary ITO spokesman said.

Black grass
The Ministry for Primary Industries is crossing its fingers over the apparent failure of a seriously invasive black grass to take hold in Mid-Canterbury.

There's no sign of it, the ministry says after three rounds of surveillance by contractors following the spillage of red fescue seed believed to be contaminated with black-grass along a route from Methven to Ashburton.

Contractors have nevertheless applied selective herbicide to areas thought to be high-risk for black-grass establishment, and there's no let-up in the hunt, with six more rounds of surveillance scheduled in the next five months.

And that's not all, with response manager David Yard saying another two-and-a-half years of surveillance and treatment is needed before the war can be deemed to have been won. Black-grass is a serious invasive weed of winter crops in Britain and Europe where it has developed resistance to many herbicides.

Fresh food on the council
Anyone thinking about central or local government roles as Hawke's Bay gets into the swing of an amalgamation debate might ponder the issue of loans being dished out by the City of New Orleans to encourage foodmarkets and corner stores to sell fresh food, particularly fruit and vegetables.

The Mayor, Mitch Landrieu, announced recently US$120,000 ($146,240) has been lent by the city to a supermarket wanting to help buy new equipment and almost double the size of the store on its Washington Ave site where it started trading almost 30 years ago.

It's part of a Fresh Food Retailer Initiative started in 2011 to help stores open or expand in areas with limited access to fresh produce.

The funds come from a US Department of Housing and Human Development Disaster-Community Development Block Grant, supported by a commercial enterprise and a national food trust.