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Art and design are proving there's much more to the Mystery Creek Fieldays than the traditional farming favourites such as gumboots and Swanndris.
The Ag Art Wear and Possum Fur Fashion Design Awards, which began 12 years ago, give rural designers the chance to showcase their wearable art from things found on the farm.
Among this year's entries are bodices made of clay targets and dog biscuits, outfits made of shotgun shells, hats fashioned from barbed wire and pretty necklaces of artificial insemination straws.
"I just came in here to take a load off my feet but these costumes are fantastic," said Norman Riley, a former Northland farmer now living in Sydney. "I think it shows the girls have got that number-eight-wire attitude in the shed too."
One of the designers, Alana Scott of Tirau, said the show gave the Fieldays "a bit of class". The 16-year-old used white frost cloth, bamboo, fencing crimps, artificial insemination tubes and more than 25,000 duck feathers from a local abattoir to create her angelic-looking winged outfit.
"Who would have thought you could take things from the farm and turn them into something amazing?" Ms Scott said.
The show's co-organiser, Jenny Hansen, said it was steadily growing in popularity, with more men attending each year.
"I think they're just as interested in this as the ladies are, frankly."
The show was also attracting entrants from Australia and the United States. "There's more of that 'wow' factor coming in these days."
Winners in the show's four categories will be announced this morning. The Fieldays, which have seen attendance levels similar to last year, end tomorrow.
