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South Island Agricultural Field Days chairman for 2025, Andrew Stewart.
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
"The first half of the 2024-25 farming year was tough.
"But since Christmas there has been considerably more good news about commodity values, and we are picking many farmers will be keen to bring forward plans they may have had for upgrading or replacing equipment they have held back on."
The biennial event, held in rotation with the Southern Field Days at Waimumu in Southland, will be back at its dedicated site at Kirwee from March 26-28.
"The South Island Agricultural Field Days is certainly the place to come to for weighing up your options," says Stewart.
A big new attraction for this year is the Cowboy Challenge, a competition for horse and rider negotiating a series of obstacles over a timed course, judged on performance and horsemanship.
There will also be an Ag Kids agriculture skills event for youngsters, the popular fencing competition, and the Tractor Shootout, testing competitors' abilities in operating a telehandler.
Some events that have previously been only one day will run on all three this year.
Stewart says there are over 600 exhibitors booked.
The covered marquee will be a lot bigger this year and another marquee is going in for indoor lifestyle sites.
"We've had a bit of interest over the past few years and with the way the Christchurch Show ended up this year we thought it was a good chance to get a few for those people."
The second marquee was already "well sold," he says.
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The Cowboy Challenge comes to the South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee for the first time this year. |
Stewart is taking his turn chairing the event after running the machinery demonstrations in previous years.
He could not yet say how many machines will be put through their paces but the usual machinery suppliers were "still as keen as ever. I'd say we will have 40-plus machines".
While previous years have used crops including fodder beet or maize, this year they are keeping it simple with one paddock of grass pasture and one of triticale for the harvesting and cultivation machinery demonstrations.
"The field days are an essential event for anyone engaged in agribusiness and farming, and we are more excited than ever to bring together such a diverse range of exhibitors to highlight the innovation and expertise in the sector," he says.
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