King's Honour stuff
OPINION: The release of the King's Birthday Honours list would normally be Milking It's cue to moan about how agriculture, the backbone of the economy, had again been overlooked.
Given the testing times of New Zealand’s current economy, Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation is optimistic, but also realistic when he says, “I don’t think it will be a record year for sales” while also noting that while a number of companies have dropped out of this year’s event, the vehicle and farm machinery areas are full, with a number of product launches scheduled.
Tractor and Machinery Association president Jaiden Drought is reported as saying, “buyers are taking a wait and see approach to spending” but was predicting that Fieldays should see good pricing and keen interest rate deals. He also noted that while year-to-date sales to April were down by 24%, the month itself was showing a 3.4% rise.
As part of the event, once again a major emphasis is being placed on getting away from the farm for one or more days, meeting friends and swapping a few stories. Businesses of course will get the chance to show some new products or ideas, reinforce the message about existing offerings or systems and close a few deals.
The international flavour of the event is also important and confirmed by pre-approved visa for several trade delegations, with Nation noting that between those visiting delegates and overseas-based manufacturers, around 45 countries will be represented.
Maintaining the focus on individual and industry wellbeing, the Health and Wellbeing Hub will be complemented with the new Advocacy Hub, a project in collaboration with Federated Farmers. The Hub will bring together under one roof multiple rural organisations who are advocating for farmers and their interests, including the Feds, NZ Young Farmers, Groundswell, The Rural Women’s’ Network and Future Farmers.
Nation says it’s great to be able to deliver a Fieldays purpose of advancing agriculture through education and collaboration.
“We know it’s tough out there this year, so it’s never been more important for farmers to be heard and to have advocates that will amplify their voice.”
Alongside the new exhibit, existing Hubs cover Careers and Education, Forestry, Digital Futures and Sustainability, while the Innovations Centre brings together the clever minds of academia and the practically of farmers.
This year’s Innovation Awards will see 64 entrants fighting over a prize pool of more than $70,000, split over three categories, including Prototype, Early Stage and Growth and Scale Awards.
