The mood among farmers at this year's annual national Fieldays was buoyant, despite the prospect of a drop in the dairy payout in the coming year, event organisers said.
While dairy farmers are looking at a farmgate milk price to $7.00 a kg/milk solids, down from a record $8.40 in 2013/14, it will still be the fourth best season for prices if the forecast comes to pass.
And beef and lamb farmers at Fieldays were more chipper, thanks to an upswing in prices for their commodities.
"We are out of the shadows of a recession now," Fieldays chief executive Jon Calder said. "The (dairy) payout is still good and beef and lamb prices are holding up, so it's time for farmers to catch up with some of that spending that has been deferred for the last couple of years," Calder told APNZ.
Some exhibitors commented that they have seen higher sale results on last year already and Calder said.