Northland farmers losing time and money to poor internet
The lack of quality internet coverage in Northland is costing farmers time and money, says Federated Farmers Northland president Colin Hannah.
BOOK NOW for exhibit space at the 2015 Northland Field Days, says event coordinator Meagan Edmonds.
Early site registration is 50% higher than last year and only 10% of the available sites are not already spoken for.
“Businesses have got in contact with me to pick out sites much faster this year,” says Edmonds. “Anybody still on the fence on whether to attend the event next year will need to move fast if they want to come along.”
She adds the strong interest doesn’t surprise the organisers. Last year’s bumper event and good economic conditions in Northland are suggesting a strong exhibitor presence next time.
Northland’s economy has grown 6.9% in the last 12 months, according to a recent ANZ Regional Trend survey, with Northland businesses growing 2% faster than their Auckland and Canterbury counterparts.
Northland Field Days president Lew Duggan says the is a showcase farmers, forestry gang operators and farm and forestry workers attend to get the supplies and services for the next 12 months.
“It’s Northland’s biggest business event of the year, worth tens of millions in new business to the region,” says Duggan. “About 27,000 people attended the event this year, a figure we hope to top next year.”
Higher levels of comfort and convenience are planned.
“The events ground has slowly been improved and added to over the past 10 years,” says Duggan. “While a toilet block and better pedestrian access will be the most ambitious changes to date they will pale into insignificance at the improvements we have planned in the very near future.”
The event will run from February 26-28 next year.
Tel. 09 439 8998.
www.northlandfielddays.co.nz
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
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