Fieldays reports good crowd despite dairy downturn

Farmers overcame the shell shock of very low milk prices to turn out in force at Fieldays, New Zealand's biggest agricultural event.

On the first day - Wednesday - attendance came to 28,921, up from around 21,000 this time last year.

On Thursday, 28,835 people came through the turnstiles, up from around 23,000 on the same day last year. The first two days of last year's Fieldays were affected by bad weather.

Jon Calder, chief executive of the event's organiser - New Zealand Fieldays Society - said he expected Friday's numbers to come in at around 35,000 to 40,000, and for all four days to total about 115,000 to 120,000.

At that level, attendance would be about the same as last year, which was when farmers were enjoying the record high farmgate milk price of $8.40 a kg of milksolids.

Calder said the feedback from exhibitors had been largely positive, although the low farmgate price from Fonterra of $4.40 for the season just past, and the forecast of $5.25 for the current year, was clearly having an impact on confidence.

"I don't think the interest is anywhere like we saw last year, but there is still some very good engagement and farmers are here spending money," he said.

Farmers were more likely to see the current low milk price as a dip, rather than a downward spiral, Calder said.

"Our view has always been that farmers are running large-scale businesses.

"Rather than navigating from one crisis to the next, they are taking a long-term view.

"Large capital items are further down the priority list, but there are still items that they can buy that are relatively affordable that are going to enhance production, improve efficiency and help lower costs," he said.

A Federated Farmers spokesman said farmers were "a bit shell-shocked" by low farmgate prices.