There were plenty of people at the Southern Field Days 2024. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Southern Field Days was cancelled twice during the pandemic, but is now back and bigger than ever with a record number of exhibitors.
The biennial event is held in Waimumu in the Gore District, and farmers say it's a significant part of their calendar that they are happy to see return.
Southern Field Days had a humble beginning back in 1982, with about 60 sites and 1500 people coming through the gate.
Chairperson Steve Henderson said it was a full house this year with 805 exhibitors - their highest number yet.
"The gates theoretically don't open until 9am. But there were people coming into the carpark at 8am, getting ready, and to have that response for the committee, it's a massive thing," Henderson said.
"It means we've set it up, we've done our job and people are coming, which is all we try to do for our exhibitors."
It was a bright spot for farmers facing hard times.
"Commodity prices and interest rates are probably the biggest things that are hurting people at the moment," he said.
"If they can get out and about, talk, realise their neighbours are in the same boat, realise the people in the other towns are in the same boat, and then come here.
"I'm not sure if there will be a lot of transactions. But there will certainly be a lot of information gathering because people still do need to upgrade and look at innovations and technology."
Henderson expected this Field Days would be worth tens of millions of dollars to the local economy, with plenty travelling from out of town to attend.
Walking around, the exhibitors range from effluent ponds, spa pools, clothing, new clothes, tractors, new food technologies, and much more.
People watch the tractor pull event at Southern Field Days. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
'It's nice to be back out here'
Local dairy farmer Matt was watching the tractor pull - which has drivers competing to see who can tow a sled the furthest, and said Field Days was a great time to have a break from the farm.
"It's nice to be back out here and seeing the new stuff that's coming out during the pandemic. We didn't get to see last time, we missed out on it," he said.
Dairy farmer Matt at Southern Field Days. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
It has been a difficult few years, but he was feeling more optimistic now.
"It was hard with everything closed down and it made farming a little bit more difficult, even though we were essential workers.
"You still had a lot of obstacles and hoops to jump through."
He hoped the rising milk prices would also help farmers out.
Onlookers watched as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon jumped in a tractor for the event, reaching the 100 metre mark before getting out for photos and to meet the crowd.
During a stand-up, he said some farmers told him they were spending up to 35 percent of their week on compliance and paperwork.
"Todd (McClay) has started to kick off the work already on freshwater, already starting to move on (Significant Natural Areas), we're starting to move on slope laws. You would have seen we've repealed the (Resource Management Act). We've got fast track consenting coming this quarter and (Tuesday night) we started the repeal of the Three Waters legislation as well."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Steve Henderson at the Southern Field Days. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Amy Gouldthorpe is on a working holiday visa at a dairy farm - she's usually on beef and sheep farms back in the UK - and is interested in new technology.
"Still quite interested in all the sheep stuff from home. It's very different over here, the sheep systems and the sheep portable races and things compared to home. So it's quite nice to see how you guys do it over here," Gouldthorpe said.
She was also impressed by the dairy robots, saying she hadn't seen them before.
Gore District Mayor Ben Bell at Southern Field Days. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Gore District Mayor Ben Bell was delighted to see so many people making the most of the event and staying in the area.
He's giving shearing a crack on Friday.
"I signed up to it because I thought it would be a good idea. I haven't actually shorn a sheep before so I'm going to be learning. Probably not the best place to learn on stage in front of everyone else. But we'll see how it goes on, it's all in good fun," Bell said.
Greg Warden gravitated towards the forestry exhibits.
"I like saws and I've got a great collection of old saws at home. The old two man saws with the patent teeth. Funnily enough, they're still making them. I bought one a couple of years ago from Sheffield in England, and you know what, the design has not changed."
Southern Field Days wraps up on Friday.
The tractor pull at Southern Field Days. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
