Fieldays is back next week, running from June 15-18 at Mystery Creek Events Centre.
The event is Australasia’s largest agricultural show, and attracts visitors from all over the world.
Despite the dairy downturn organisers are still expecting big crowds.
Last year, more than 126,000 people walked through the gates.
The event doesn’t just attract farm folk.
There will be number of interactive demonstrations held during Fieldays, such as the Kiwi’s Best Kitchen where some of New Zealand’s most well-known chefs demonstrate their expertise as they create their own distinct and exciting dishes. This year there are five chefs, including Chelsea Winter and Allyson Gofton.
Perhaps the most popular competition of all is the Rural Bachelor of the Year where eight finalists have their skills, attitude and all-round charisma tested in a number of competitive challenges, from speed fencing to blind dating, log splitting to construction. The challenges are sure to test the character of these men, as the crowd cheers them on to see who will take home the coveted Golden Gumboot.
Fieldays 2015 took a hit from the low dairy payout, despite good crowds rolling through the gates, according to a report compiled by Waikato University’s Dr Warren Hughes.
It was six per cent down on the economic impact generated at the 2014 event.
The bulk of the drop was attributed to a decrease in equipment sales, with farmers less enthusiastic to hand over cash as the payout nosedived on the back of low international demand.
Source: Stuff
