Tuesday, 28 June 2016 13:55

Farming sector supermarket ‘even has aisles’ – Nation

Written by  Peter Burke
Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation. Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation.

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.

Farmers needed to take time out from their day-to-day demands and worries and get to Kiwi farming's supermarket. "It's even got aisles," he quipped.

"You don't want to sit too long in the place that's causing you stress. So the idea was to get them off-farm.

"Fieldays has lots of seminars that provide farmers with new information and stories to help them start thinking positively.

"It's also a time for them to come and talk to people and feel the big support mechanism behind them.

"It pleases me that the exhibitors and suppliers keep investing here. Farmers should be buoyed by people continually putting investment in behind them," Nation says.

A big part of National Fieldays unseen by most is that many people come to socialise. During his days as a farmer he did this, he says.

"I've pulled myself out of bed in Taranaki at 3am and driven to Fieldays and had breakfast – sandwiches and a Thermos of tea – out of the boot of the car and met our friends from Bay of Plenty. Today you see people doing just what we did," he says.

The social culture of Fieldays is important to farming families: it's their chance to meet friends and suppliers and build new relationships. This has always happened, even in tough times.

And even in tough times exhibitors keep on at Fieldays and while they may downplay the nature of their site they realise how important it is to keep faith with their customers.

"You don't want to be a fair weather friend; you need to show your support of the industry especially if you are a big brand. Farmers expect their suppliers to be here and it would be considered rude if they weren't here."

More like this

Editorial: Agri's mojo is back

OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

Fieldays goes urban

OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard yakka.

King's Honour stuff

OPINION: The release of the King's Birthday Honours list would normally be Milking It's cue to moan about how agriculture, the backbone of the economy, had again been overlooked.

The JAC of all trades at National Fieldays

Already causing a stir in the burgeoning ute sector, JAC (“Jack”) has raised its profile by being named as the latest major sponsor of June’s National Fieldays, where it will officially introduce its top-of-the-line T9 4WD double cab ute to the market, joining its fleet of 100% EV and Cummins diesel trucks.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter