Cuddling cows
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.
The tents and flags went up, the punters came in - 106,000 according to Fieldays - looking for a bargain and, according to many exhibitors Dairy News spoke to, the general vibe was pretty good.
Big, well-timed announcements from Wellington helped, such as the removal of agriculture from the ETS, and the bank inquiry announcement.
But it's likely that, while happier on the surface, farmers were still only buying smaller items, such as hotdogs and socks, because the farmgate prices for meat, milk and wool still don't match the more upbeat mood at Fieldays.
