Organisers of the National Agricultural Fieldays are feeling pretty chipper after getting bigger crowds through the gates this year and seeing few signs of the dairy downturn impacting on a generally buoyant mood at the event.
There were almost 7,000 visitors more visitors at this year's event than last year's. Photo: RNZ / Andrew McRae
Just over 126,000 visitors attended over the four days, substantially more than the last two years, though still shy of 2008's record attendance of 132,000, at the event's 40th anniversary.
Chief executive Jon Calder said low milk payouts and the financial pressures on dairy farmers had organisers and exhibitors tempering optimism with some caution before the event.
"But certainly after day one, it became apparent that there was spending going on.
"I think farmers were being prudent with what they spent, but there were a number of companies who reported being overwhelmed by the response that they'd had.
"Some good sales being made, larger capital items moving, so tractors and machinery, a lot better than the dealers were expecting.
"Obviously the feedback will be more detailed over the coming weeks, but I don't think we've seen the shift that we were predicting, where we might have seen the larger capital items put on hold or deferred."
