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SIFD organisers are expecting between 20,000 to 30,000 people through the gates over the three-day event – running from March 29-31.
The sheds have been built, the marquees are up and now the 600-plus exhibitors are busily dressing their sites.
All this, as New Zealand’s oldest and largest regional agricultural field days transforms an 80ha site in the outskirts of Christchurch into a satellite village for this month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days.
Just minutes from the centre of Kirwee, 21 of the 80 hectares is now starting to resemble a small agricultural town, with numerous banks, primary industry supply stores and some of the latest innovations in the farming and primary sectors all set to display their wares.
Organisers are expecting between 20,000 to 30,000 people through the gates over the three-day event – running from March 29-31. They say with the large array of exhibitors this year, there’s something for everyone.
With a further 11ha of irrigated land planted in barley, lucerne and other crops, machinery exhibitors from all over New Zealand have the opportunity to showcase their latest equipment starting with cultivation equipment, which leads into hay and silage demonstrations and other types of machinery later in the day.
SI Fieldays started as a machinery sale 70 years ago as a fundraiser for the local Young Farmers Club and still has a distinct focus on machinery and demonstrations.
Organisers are hoping that this year’s field days will also be used as an opportunity for farmers and agricultural workers to get off site and celebrate their wins.
“The South Island Agricultural Field Days is the perfect place to meet and talk to like-minded people, share ideas and discuss challenges you might be having.
“It’s an opportunity to find out where other people are at and take some of those thoughts and ideas back to your business.”
The South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) gave the Landpower Vegetable Centre, a specialist division of the Claas Harvest Centres, the chance to show of it extensive product range – centred around the vegetable cultivation, planting and harvesting sector.
While the temperature was struggling to reach about 5 degrees and the horizontal hail had enough grunt to slice cheese, the SIAFD committee knocked it out of the park by delivering another great event.
Well known motor industry face Tom Ruddenklau has been appointed as chief of the Morrinsville-headquartered, Power Farming Group.
A couple of the machines that will be on show at the 2023 SIAFD have effectively already done their live demonstration.
SIAFD started in the 1950s as machinery demonstrations on a leased site at Lincoln.
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Five hunting-related shootings this year is prompting a call to review firearm safety training for licencing.
The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.
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