Moving field days to harvest season considered ‘a joke’

The rescheduling of a major NSW field days has been deemed ‘a joke’ by leading machinery manufacturers, with it now clashing with harvest season.

MACHINERY manufacturers have questioned the rescheduling of major NSW field day, AgQuip, to November during harvesting, with most field days across Australia cancelled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The event has been held in Gunnedah, northwest NSW, every August since 1973, however mass gathering laws made it impossible to hold the event next month.

Peter Piddington, Australian operations manager for Rovic Agri, said the move to November was “a joke”.

“The industry talk is moving it back to November is that it’s a joke because harvest starts in Queensland in October and into northern NSW in November so what farmer is going to stop the header to go to the field days?” he said.

Both Case IH and New Holland will not attend the event and other major manufacturers questioned why it would be held during the busiest time for farmers in the region.

Pete McCann, general manager for Case IH Australia and New Zealand.

Case IH’s general manager Pete McCann said it appeared to be a shortsighted change, considering the outlook is favourable Australia-wide for a bumper harvest.

“Case IH won’t be attending for the first time since 1973,” Mr McCann said.

“Our annual attendance involves considerable resources and investment and in November. I’d rather our guys were out in the field assisting our dealers and customers through harvest.”

New Holland’s national product manager Tony Peters said the company expected a lot less visitors.

“We won’t attend as a company, but will offer our site to a local dealer,” Mr Peters said.

AgQuip organiser Kate Nugent said while the new date was not ideal, the field days had the support of the agriculture industry and surrounding communities that benefit from visitors to the area.

Organisers of the Henty field days announced last month it was cancelling this year’s event because of the pandemic.

Elmore Field Days have been called off as of today.

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