Tuesday, 04 June 2024 12:52

Fieldays 'focus'

Written by  The Hound

OPINION: The annual Fieldays at Mystery Creek next week should inject some much-needed energy into the agricultural sector, however, a mate of the Hound questions whether the organisers truly understand that most of the exhibitors are hoping to see farmers – not just all-and-sundry – coming through the turnstiles.

One of the many recent press releases from Fieldays focused on the heartwarming memories a few regular visitors had of coming back every year.

Not a single working farmer was included in the story.

Instead we had: a former Aucklander now living in Wellington; and a retired farmer from South Africa.

No disrespect to the thousands of townies and school kids that attend, they no doubt add a lot of tin to the gate takings, but the event should surely be focused on connecting farmers with those providing the products and services they need to farm.

More like this

Fieldays hold out the begging bowl

OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.

Wrong focus

OPINION: Your old mate reckons townie Brooke van Velden, the Minister of Workplace (or is it Woke Place) Relations is now showing how underemployed she is as a minister by initiating an investigation into whether young children should be banned from collecting eggs on farms and feeding animals.

Burn the village

OPINION: There's an infamous term coined by a US general during the Vietnam war, specifically in reference to the battle of Ben Tre: "We had to burn the village to save it."

Purist problem

OPINION: The sudden departure of Jim Ward, manager of Molesworth Station for 24 years, highlighted some major dysfunction in the way conservation estate is managed in this country - the biggest problem, as the Hound sees it, being idealogues who harp on about "taonga" and use all means possible to block sensible commercial operations on conservation land.

Drill baby, drill!

OPINION: While the destruction of NZ's oil and gas industry by Jacinda Ardern's band of merry vandals was virtue signalling on a heroic scale - producing no environmental benefit whatsoever - the politician vowing to make that industry whole again, Shane Jones, is not above a bit of virtue signalling of his own.

Featured

Editorial: Happy days

OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

The bow-tie effect

OPINION: If the hand-wringing, cravat and bow-tie wearing commentariat of a left-leaning persuasion had any influence on global markets, we'd…

Famous last words

OPINION: With Winston Peters playing politics with the PM's Indian FTA, all eyes will be on Labour who have the…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter