Fieldays goes urban
OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard yakka.
Some early rain on the opening day meant less of a crowd poured into the Mystery Creek site last week.
Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation claims it is proof of success of holding the event even though final numbers would not be known till after Saturday. However, Nation reckons having 1000 exhibitors on site is a good result. On Wednesday morning there were some heavy showers, but gumboots and umbrellas were the simple answer. And there were plenty of indoor sites to visit as well.
Nation told Rural News that organisers of similar events world-wide are facing challenges with supply chain disruptions forcing exhibitors to pull out or downsize. “It’s hard if you don’t have product,” he says.
But Nation adds that there has been an excellent response from overseas visitors.
“One company flew in 200 delegates to the event and many others flew in smaller numbers.”
He’s hopeful that more freedoms around travel will see future numbers increase.
As for the somewhat controversial decision to stage the event at this time of the year, Nation claims that farmers are still coming along as are key exhibitors – such as Fonterra and DairyNZ. He says Fieldays is mindful that it’s a busy time of the year.
“But as one farmer put it to me – this is the secondbest date you could have chosen.”
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
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