The surprise take away advice I got from attending Fieldays as a townie was “Don’t get into farming (at least not full time)”. It would appear from those I’ve spoken to is that If you’re in a cushy desk-bound / office job “then stay in it” was the advice of many surprisingly.

Specific comments received chatting to both attendees and stallholders from those actually farming include…

• The pay “is crap”.
• The days are long – “You’re working up to 10-16 hour days a lot of the time” (depending on what role you’re undertaking of course).
• Social interaction is limited. “You’re isolated and alone for much of the time”.
• Mental well being is generally lower. “Depression throughout the industry is rife”
• “The job is stressful for the amount of remuneration / compensation you receive”.
• “Smaller farms are struggling to survive and are being bought out by larger scale corporate operations”.
• Government regulations stifling their livelihoods.

Admittedly overall I was a little taken back by how negative and upfront farmers themselves perceive of working in the farming / rural sector.

The more positive aspects of Farming mentioned…

• Get to spend time outside.
• Great views / scenery.
• Less people / Solitude.
• Opportunity to use a wide variety of equipment and drive heavy machinery.
• Opportunity for a more laid back and quieter lifestyle.

The idea fantasy of getting hands-on in any sort of farming work (even part time) has been quashed at least for now I guess. That said, I anticipate vocational roles may make a come back at some point. When? I don’t know. Farming as a career choice has been in the doldrums for a few decades.

It does explain why every time I walk into the Fieldays Careers hub, I find it’s completely empty and when I did talk to a roving representative, I get the strong vibe of “why would you even ever so much as entertain the thought of a career change from IT into farming?”

With that said, I will admit this post reads rather downbeat and may be unfairly so. I invite those who actually enjoy their farming role (and I’m sure there are many) to perhaps pipe up and tell their story.

Away from the Business / Career aspect of Fieldays 2023…

• In terms of shopping. There wasn’t much in terms of deals quite frankly. The only thing I actually bought was a $50 Swazi Bush Tee to replace my one that I currently have which is near the end of it’s life. (To be couriered out for free as they didn’t have it available at the time)

• The “Rural lifestyle” tent, car dealerships and the Clothing stalls were the most popular. The actual Farming equipment areas were dead quiet, but mind you this was on a Saturday – Traditional “Townie” day.

• There were somewhat less interactive displays at the various stalls this time. The giveaways were also less this time than in previous years. A few new hubs such as the Forestry hubs and the sustainability hub were established which were worth a look. Good conversation at AgDrive/AgWork. Good experiences at the Bank sites, Sanford and power equipment sites.

• Most stallholders were friendly though many didn’t have the answers or information I was seeking about their specialty and was instead directed to look online. None of the fencers really wanted to chat. Exceptionally bizarre experience at the Zespri marquee

• Despite the slightly downbeat vibe received from attendees and stallholders this time around. Getting to the event was quite easy with only a short time queuing and car parking was a breeze (we were directed to a spot near the entrance) arriving in at about 8:30 AM Saturday Morning. National Fieldays Society did a fairly good job orchestrating the event (though did see complaints to the contrary from other attendees saying parking was actually instead difficult)

Entry tickets cost $30.00 per adult + 0.90c Booking Fee. If you scan your wrist band at enough places (and you’re happy enough to provide your personal information to the exhibiting companies for marketing purposes), chances are you’ll win a prize at one of the stands that effectively redeems the cost of the day.

Worth it to attend at least once every now and again though there hasn’t been much change between each Annual Fieldays over the last decade. There does seem to be a slow change to more of an Rural version of the Auckland Home Show Expo with more focus towards being a family day out.