15 October 2002 Milestone year for South Island Field Days

Fiftieth anniversary time is coming up next year for the oldest continually run agricultural field days in New Zealand.

The South Island Agricultural Field Days, held biennially on one of the Lincoln University farms, started in 1953 and from small beginnings under the eye of the Ladbrooks Young Farmers Club the event has grown to be the South Island's largest agricultural event outside the Canterbury A & P Show.

The 50th anniversary field days will be held over 26-28 March next year and an attendance greater than the 2001 total of 16,000 is expected.

The event runs on week days, Wednesday to Friday, to encourage the presence of farmers, agribusiness people, consultants and advisers, and display site bookings are open now. The smallest sites are 3 x 3 metres in a marquee and larger uncovered outside sites are available from 7.5 x 12 metres up to 30 metres and in multiples of 12-metre lengths.

Prices for sites range from $445 for a small uncovered site and $1280 for a 36 x 15 metre outside site.

Further details are on the website https://www.siafd.co.nz

The South Island Agricultural Field Days feature the largest number of comparative demonstrations of agricultural equipment of all the field days held in New Zealand.

"If you're in the market to purchase something and you want to see like compared to like under similar conditions, then visit Lincoln in March 2003," says Field Days President Hamish Reid.

The aims of the South Island Agricultural Field Days, or Lincoln Field Days as they are commonly known, are twofold –

• To provide a venue where machinery and agricultural services can be demonstrated to the rural community.
• To provide a vehicle for senior Young Farmers Club members of the Christchurch District to acquire organisational and business skills in a practical way.

Former committee members are being invited to the 2003 Field Days for a special event to mark the 50th anniversary. Although it will be 50 years since the founding of the field days, it is really only the 25th Lincoln-based event as it is held biennially. On alternate years a similar event is held at Waimumu near Gore, thus agricultural field days are held every year in the South Island – alternately Lincoln and Waimumu.

Errol Costello, Professional Development Group, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.