Visitors to the Vodafone Fieldays site had access to free Vodafone Rural Connect wi-fi and were able to gauge mobile and broadband coverage on their properties using Smart Farm Test stations.

The basic reason for Fieldays hasn't changed in its nearly 50 year history: getting willing buyers in front of enthusiastic sellers and enticing them with the hint of a bargain or two.

Fieldays 2016 has come and gone, and the weather was kind – cool mornings and a little seasonal Waikato fog.

Farmer support agencies did their best to encourage dairy farmers to come to National Fieldays despite the sector's downturn, says chief executive Peter Nation.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has congratulated the National Fieldays Society for another successful event at Mystery Creek in Waikato.

Artist Ben Pearce, of Napier, has won the big prize in the 2016 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Awards.

Arguably the mood at the National Fieldays is a tangible barometer for farmer confidence. When the dairy pay-out was high, farmers had cheque books at the ready, but this year with the pay-out down, there was much speculation as to just how farmers would react.

Alpine Buildings, Timaru, claims to be New Zealand's first company to make complete kitset buildings and is well known for developing a bird-proof rafter called Zero-Bird-Perch.

The 2016 National Fieldays is underway with organisers hoping to bring town and country together in the advancement of agriculture.

A new programme celebrating and promoting careers in the primary sector has been launched by Prime Minister John Key, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and senior Ministers at National Fieldays.