Farmers head south for Mystery Creek fieldays

Farmers will be flocking to Hamilton next week for the 2010 Fieldays, held at Mystery Creek from June 16-19.

The theme for this year’s event is Innovation for Future Profit.

The exihibition and demonstration space covers more than 40 hectares and will feature more than 1000 exhibitors on 1500 sites.

In addition to all the usual agricultural exhibitors and trade stands, the event also hosts the final of the Rural Bachelor of the Year competition, which sees eight regional finalists vying for $20,000 worth of prizes and the coveted Golden Gumboot award.

Competing alongside, but in a separate contest, eight rural ladies will battle it out to take home the Good Keen Girls’ trophy.

Fashion gets a look in too, with the staging of the National Fieldays Ag Art Wear Competition. This features a range of designers who have come up with a piece of wearable art created from materials sourced or used on the farm.

A new category, Landcare Awareness, has been added this year to challenge designers to explore the environmental conscience of land-based farming.

Leabourn’s of Wellsford is putting on a bus to Mystery Creek on Thursday, June 17, and Friday, June 18.

The bus leaves the town at 5.30am, and will pick up from Kaiwaka and Mangawhai. Cost is $40. Info: phone 423 7416.

Image: Fieldays helps farmers with tough decisions.