Wrapping up Fieldays: One of the biggest years in event's history

Over 130,000 people made their way to Fieldays last week. Photo / Caitlan Johnston.

Fieldays 2021 was one of the biggest in the agricultural event's history, with a total of 132,776 people attending over the four days to see the best of what the primary sector has to offer.

And eventgoers can extend their Fieldays experience with the Fieldays Online, running until June 30.

At the official opening ceremony last Wednesday, New Zealand National Fieldays Society president, James Allen, spoke of the significance of the event.

"The challenges in the primary sector today are significant: labour, greenhouse gases, droughts and floods. But the opportunities are even greater, and Fieldays is the one place where you can see those opportunities come to life," says James.

Some of the primary sector's greatest minds put their ideas to the test at the Fieldays Innovation Awards. Winners included Springarm Products Limited's ballcock arm that flexes, Cropsy Technologies with their AI enabled hardware that optimises crop management, and IGS Limited's vertical farming technology.

Fieldays was back this year following a miss last year due to Covid-19. Photo / Caitlan Johnston.

More than 60 ground-breaking award entries were showcased in the new and enhanced Fieldays Innovation Hub, which was a hive of activity with industry professionals, investors, and award entrants networking and sharing ideas.

Thousands of people lined up to get health check-ups at the Fieldays Health and Wellbeing Hub, including hearing checks, blood sugar level testing, hepatitis C testing, skin cancer spot checks, blood pressure checks, atrial fibrillation checks and confidential mental health support.

More than 1600 school students stopped at the Fieldays Careers and Education Hub, to learn about the opportunities available in New Zealand's thriving primary sector.

There also remains an engaging mix of Fieldays TV content to watch on demand.
Watch interviews with experts, cooking demonstrations and content filmed at Fieldays, panel discussions on hot topics, insights into primary sector careers and more.