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Gallagher's Fieldays site humming with visitors in 2019.
For more than 50 years, the Gallagher team has made the annual pilgrimage to Mystery Creek for Fieldays.
So, when Covid upset plans last year, Darrell Jones reckons it was like missing Christmas.
Darrell is Gallagher animal management's general manager for NZ, Latin American and Asia and has been with the company for more than 20 years.
With a fair share of Fieldays under his belt, Darrell understands how important the event is for connecting with farmers and strengthening Gallagher's Kiwi roots.
"You can't put a price on having conversations in person with farmers," he says. "There is something special about shaking a farmer's hand, looking them in the eye and genuinely listening to the challenges they're facing on farm. That's where it all starts for us and what gets our team out of bed in the morning.
"We enjoy learning about farmers' pain points and then sharing our knowledge and expertise to help them be more productive and efficient behind the farm gate.
"At the same time, Fieldays gives us a unique opportunity to showcase everyday solutions, as well as present new products and digital innovations to our customers.
"We absolutely loved reconnecting with farmers at the regional field days this year and we can't wait to get to Mystery Creek. It's a pretty special event on the New Zealand farming calendar and after a challenging year, we shouldn't take it for granted."
Just like Fieldays, Gallagher is home grown in New Zealand. That 'Kiwiness' saw the company launch a NZ-Made campaign last year.
"As part of our campaign, we worked with a number of inspiring farmers who are using our products on farm and appreciate the value quality NZ-madde products can add to their business.
"These farmers embody the very essence of what it means to be a New Zealand farmer. They are passionate about the industry and are committed to buying quality homegrown products they know will get the job done.
"It has been a privilege to partner with them and share their stories with others. We are looking forward to hosting them on our site at Fieldays."
Darrell says New Zealand's pastoral farmers have built an international reputation as some of the most productive, profitable and innovative in the world.
But that world is coming under pressure like never before.
Whether it's animal welfare, the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources, maintaining a clean green image or doing more with less - the spotlight is on every Kiwi farmer.
"Our farmers need support from innovative partners, products and technology to tackle today's farming challenges and maintain their licence to operate.
"Gallagher has valuable relationships with key industry partners to ensure we keep ourselves up to date on the challenges and opportunities our farmer customers are facing.
"Our promise to them is that we will continue to invest in research and development to help them meet their challenges head on."
With effluent management never far from the thoughts of legislators and farmers becoming increasingly aware of the nutrient values of dairy effluent, innovate ideas for the convenient storage and subsequent discharge are always of interest.
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