The future of Farmer Field Days
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Intensive Farming News
- Jul 04, 2017
- 710 views
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How many times have you heard Field Day officials say "record crowd." Well having been to alot of Field Days (with Farm Tender) as an exhibitor across Australia and some in the US, I would say those record crowds are long gone. In fact, some farmers (the target audience) make a point of telling others they are NOT going which seems to be more cool than saying you are going.
Now for the record, we think Field Days are good, and many of our customers have derived from these events. However in saying that we used to attend up to 21 each year and now we are back to 7. Some of the smaller ones we have dropped off have served us well but now don't make economic sense for us to attend.
We also talk to other exhibitors who spend a hell of alot more money, time and effort on their sites that we do and many threaten with the "that's it" line. Some do, but more often than not they come back again.
So what is the future of the Farmer Field Day? I reckon that the larger ones will survive providing they don't go too far down the "lifestyle" track. I also think that the entry fee for patrons is too steep and should be reduced or abolished. Some are around the $20 mark and are deterring the farming family. The AgQuip/FarmFest model of free entry but higher site fees works well and those events are well attended.
Another challenge for the traditional field day is competing with the internet. Farmers now derive their info on particular products or services via a website or an app. Although, it's not the same viewing an item on the screen.
To conclude, I think Field Days will have their challenges in this new age, digital times. But what businesses won't.
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