Field days in Australia usually take place as part of an agricultural show, though field days focus on agricultural industry and equipment rather than livestock. A Landcare Australia survey conducted in 1992/93 revealed Australian farmers place a high value on field days. [1]
The Australian National Field Days which began in 1952 is an annual agricultural exhibition held at Orange, New South Wales each year. [2] Field days have been held at Henty since 1963, and are held in the third week of September each year. Over 60,000 people visit over the three-day period Tuesday to Thursday. There are over 600 exhibitors each year, and it is one of the largest in Australia and displays new agricultural equipment and technology for farmers. The event is now held at a permanent all-weather rural exhibition site with broad display avenues including a square kilometre (250 acres) of car parking and an on-site airstrip.
AgQuip, held in August at Gunnedah, attracts over 100,000 visitors. It is sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank, and started in 1973. [3] Murrumbidgee Farm Fair is a Field Day which began in 1988 is held at the Yanco Agricultural Institute in Yanco which is held over two days in May of each year and attracting 15,000 visitors. [4] A field day is held each year at Murrumbateman in October and has about 20,000 visitors. [5] They began in 1979. [6]
In Queensland, the largest field days in that state is held in Kingsthorpe near Toowoomba attracting over 60,000 visitors and the event is sponsored by CRT known as CRT FarmFest. [7]
The Yorke Peninsula Field Days held every second year at Paskeville are the oldest field days in Australia (dating from 1895) [8] and the largest in South Australia. [9] Other field days are held at Barmera in the Riverland (annually since 1958), [10] Cleve on the Eyre Peninsula and Lucindale in the south east of the state.
The Field days in Tasmania are run by Rural Youth organisation of Tasmania. They are held over three days in May each year at the 0.81-square-kilometre (200-acre) site in Carrick. They had previously been held at a smaller site in Simmons plains. [11] Today Agfest is Tasmania's premier agricultural event, with over 64,000 people attending in 2008. [12]
The field days at Elmore commenced in 1964. There is now a permanent site with pavilions, conference rooms and catering facilities which is hired out for events other than the field days which are held in early October. [13] In 2004 there were 45,000 visitors. The Mallee Machinery Field Days are held at Speed and commenced in 1979. [14] The Notman Pasture Seeds Farm Field Days are held at Poowong, Victoria & Walcha and commenced in 1987. The Farm Field Days have been presented some of the most experiences professionals in the fields of pasture, cropping, fertiliser, dairying and economics along with insights into Australia's agriculture industry. In 2014 over 400 local farmers attended the Poowong Farm Field Day [15] with speakers including Andrew Allsop (Notman Pasture Seeds), John Mulvany, Steve Monegetti, David Barry, Matt Hall, Adam Fisher, John Gallienne, and Peter Notman. [16]
For many years, three major field days focusing on grain growing and pastoral farming have been held annually in Western Australia, at Dowerin, Newdegate and Mingenew. [17]
Field days commenced at Dowerin in September 1965; they claim to be the longest established field days in Western Australia. They are now known as the Dowerin GWN Machinery Field Days, naming rights having been granted to regional television broadcaster Golden West Network (GWN) since 1992. [18]
The Dowerin field days are traditionally held on the last Wednesday and Thursday in August each year. Over the two days, the small Dowerin community swells from a population of a few hundred to over 24,000. In 2015, the number of exhibitors reached 700. [19]
In 1973, a machinery field day was held for the first time in Newdegate. Ten years later, in 1983, the organisers announced that that event would be expanded to cover two days. Also in 1983, the inaugural Mingenew Rural Exposition was held. [17]
As of 2019 [update] , the three events, known as the Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days, the Newdegate Machinery Field Days, and the Mingenew Midwest Expo, respectively, were being held over a two day period in August or early September each year. [17]
In 1997, the Margaret River Wine Industry Field Day (now known as the Landmark Wine Industry Field Day) was first held with 80 exhibitors, showcasing the latest viticultural and oenological technology. Since that time it has changed to a biennial event and grown to over 200 exhibitors. It is held in Cowaramup. [20] [21]
An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show, a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment. The work and practices of farmers, animal fanciers, cowboys, and zoologists may be displayed. The terms agricultural show and livestock show are synonymous with the North American terms county fair and state fair.
Murrumbateman is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Barton Highway, approximately 30 kilometres north-west of Canberra, and is part of the Yass Valley Shire. At the 2016 census, Murrumbateman had a population of 3,219 people.
The National Agricultural Fieldays is an annual national agricultural show and field day event held in mid-June at the Mystery Creek Events Centre near Hamilton, New Zealand. It styles itself as "the biggest agricultural trade show in the southern hemisphere".
Cunderdin is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia 156 km east of Perth, along the Great Eastern Highway. Due to it being on the route of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme it is also on the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail. It is a rural community consisting of a district high school and an agricultural college.
The Ekka is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show, and it is held at the Brisbane Showgrounds. It was originally called the Brisbane Exhibition, but it is more commonly known as the Ekka, short for "exhibition". It is run by The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA).
Newdegate is a townsite in the Great Southern agricultural region, 399 km south-east of Perth and 52 km east of Lake Grace in Western Australia. The townsite was gazetted in 1925 and honours Sir Francis Newdegate, the Governor of Western Australia from 1920 to 1924. The Department of Agriculture and Food operates one of its 13 research stations in the area of Newdegate.
Dowerin is a town 156 kilometres (97 mi) north-east of Perth in the central Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is the seat of the Shire of Dowerin.
The Perth Royal Show is an annual agricultural show held in Perth, Western Australia at the Claremont Showground. It features informational exhibits, agricultural competitions and animal showcases, a sideshow alley and rides, and showbags. It has been held for over 100 years and is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia. It is held during the spring school holidays, either during the last week of September or the first week of October and at its peak, attracted attendance of around 460,000 people.
Carrick is a small historic village 17 kilometres (11 mi) west of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, on the banks of the Liffey River. The Meander Valley Highway passes through the town's centre; this road was formerly the main road from Launceston to Deloraine and Devonport. Carrick has a well-preserved 19th-century heritage; fifteen of its colonial buildings are listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register including Carrick House (1840), St Andrew's Church (1848), the Old Watch house (1837), Monds Roller Mill (1846) and the Carrick Hotel (1833).
Henty is a town in the Murray region in southwestern New South Wales, Australia. The town is almost midway between the regional cities of Albury and Wagga Wagga. At the 2006 census, Henty had a population of 863 people.
Paskeville is a town on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. It is located approximately 20 km east of Kadina on the Copper Coast Highway towards Adelaide. At the 2016 census, Paskeville had a population of 178. The town's district is administratively divided between the Copper Coast Council and the District Council of Barunga West.
The Royal Highland Show is Scotland's biggest annual Agricultural show. The show is organised by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
Farm Progress is the publisher of 22 farming and ranching magazines. The company's oldest publication began in 1819. Farm Progress Companies is owned by Informa.
The National Farm Machinery Show is an agricultural machinery exposition held annually in February indoors at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Attendance exceeds 300,000 people, with 800 exhibitors in display space of 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2).
AgQuip is Australia's largest and premier primary industry field days and one of the largest agricultural events in the world. The nation's biggest agricultural event showcases over 3,000 individual companies and attracts over 100,000 visitors from across the nation and overseas. The event runs over three days, Tuesday to Thursday, in August, 8 kilometres (4.97 mi) west of Gunnedah, New South Wales. The site on Blackjack Road covers 26 hectares.
The Yorke Peninsula Field Days is a biennial, three-day field days event, held on a permanent site outside Paskeville on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. The event has a major focus on agriculture. The event is the oldest field days event in Australia and one of the biggest, exhibiting millions of dollars' worth of farm machinery.
Agfest is a renowned annual agricultural field day held in the Australian state of Tasmania. It was first held in 1983 and is run by the Rural Youth Organisation of Tasmania with profits assisting Tasmania Rural Counselling. It has grown to the state's largest single event and attracts up to 70,000 visitors during three days in May each year at the 200-acre (80 ha) site in rural Carrick.
LAMMA Show is the United Kingdom's leading agricultural machinery equipment and service show. Since 1982 the LAMMA show has grown to over 900 exhibitors, with in excess of 40,000 attendees. Since 2012 the show has been owned by Briefing MediaArchived 30 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Ltd, the owners of the Farmer’s Guardian.
The International Plowing Match (IPM), held annually in Ontario, is North America's largest outdoor agricultural and rural expo. It is usually held in late September, and usually attracts more than 80,000 visitors over the 5-day event. Each International Plowing Match takes years of planning and months of labour to prepare. It has several attractions, including the plow fields, Tent City, and the RV park. A transportation network of tractors and wagons carries visitors to and from different areas of the site. The IPM is organized and run by the Ontario Plowmen's Association (OPA).
The COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.