As luck would have it, it wasn't the best the weather has been in Hawke's Bay in the last few weeks, but a brisk wind and a spot of inclemency never hurt anyone, as the people turned out for the Silver Fern Farmer of the Year field day at Forest Road Farm near Tikokino.
About 260 people turned-up to celebrate the triumph of deer farmer Grant Charteris and wife Sally, which was announced at the Napier Port Hawke's Bay Primary Sector Awards on April 21.
The field day had originally been scheduled for last week and would have clashed with the deer industry annual conferences.
Rescheduling to Tuesday this week enabled deer farming specialists from further afield to attend including a group from Otorohanga, and New Zealand Deer Industry chief executive Dan Coup.
Addressing the crowd, he highlighted the multiple income streams of deer farming, primarily velvet and venison but extending to a variety of co-products.
