Post Fieldays

The Fieldays have come and gone. Considerable numbers visited our site and we had many good conversations with very interested farmers, advisors and consultants. None-the-less, it will be a while yet and quite a bit of following up before we know how fruitful the whole exercise has been.

Going to the National Fieldays is an expensive exercise, especially if you are, like us, headquartered in the South Island. There's travel, transportation of equipment plus accommodation and the cost of the site. It all adds up. I noticed in last weeks "Farmers Weekly" (21 June 2010) that some of the farm equipment people are starting to question the cost of representation at the Fieldays and the timing of the event. They are questions that have to be answered. There is a difference between demonstrating to groups of dedicated and interested potential clients and wasting time satisfying the curiosity of people who are only there to look and who have no intention of buying. To this end it could be that the National Fieldays have grown too large for their own good. Maybe there is more value to be had at the smaller field days such as the Southern; Central Districts and Northern Field Days. It's something we will give serious thought to.

To be fair, one of the real values of the National Field Days is networking with other folk in the Agricultural Business. For that splinter of time, we are all in the same place and there are dynamics that can be made use of.

National Field Days

It's that time of year again. As we have done for a number of years, we are setting off up north to the 42nd National Field days. Our site is in the Premiere area in the main pavilion (Site PF26).

We've had field days since the beginning of agriculture in this country and it's interesting that the basic format, from what I've read and observed over time, hasn't changed much. The content has but not the basic format. For something to have survived for so long means that someone must have got it right all those years ago or alternatively, we are still farming and doing things with a nineteenth century mind set. I prefer the former explanation. I love field days, meeting people and chewing the fat. Net working and dreaming of what might have been. There's a social benefit that isn't calculable. It was none-the -less interesting to read the KPMG Agribusiness Agenda report which suggested farming in New Zealand was based on "Outdated" Agricultural Science dating back to the 1960s and 70s. It also included a suggestion that if we don't pull up our farm socks, we could be overtaken and left behind agriculturally by other fast developing countries. That's a bit of a worry!

As much as I hate the thought, it could be time to have an in-depth look at Field days and Agricultural Shows to assess their worth and explore the possibilities of a 21st Century way of accomplishing the same objectives.

Any Suggestions?