It took until the final day, but finally the skies smiled on Elmore.
The 2023 Elmore Field Days had been hampered by wet weather on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week before warmer, sunny conditions brought out the best crowd of the week on Thursday.
Not that everyone was disappointed by the soggy start, with the consensus from farmers that the rain was much appreciated.
Elmore Field Days committee member Derek Shotton said despite the wet opening two days, it was a successful edition of the event, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.
“While this year’s event wasn’t the best, it wasn’t the worst either. On Thursday, as the program drew to a close, we had a great run,” Mr Shotton said.
“We found that many of the people who attended were genuine, which we thought was encouraging.”
One of the many visitors to the event was Chad Lambert.
The Rutherglen builder attended the field days with his 18-month-old son Colton.
“I came to see what new products the exhibitors have here on offer today,” Mr Lambert said.
“It’s a good crowd and it’s a lot better than yesterday; no rain’s a good thing with outdoor events.”
More than 500 exhibitors were on site at the Elmore Events Centre, discussing updates on products and services available to the agriculture industry.
Among them was Albury’s Jimmy O’Neill, who displayed the drone he operates on his farm.
“This drone, the Agras T40, can cover 10 to 15 hectares of land in an hour or about 150 hectares in a 10-hour day,” Mr O’Neill said.
“The unit can carry 40kg of liquid spray or 50kg of solid fertiliser.”
For Mr O’Neill, the drone offers additional benefits that assist with daily farm operations where other equipment might be too expensive.
“The drone is efficient and targets specific areas, minimising the amount of spray used,” he said.
“As the agricultural sector has not always been able to have sufficient staff, drones like these assist farmers who may struggle to attract the right candidate.”
One of the most popular exhibitions was the shearing shed.
Bill Johnson, a legend in local shearing circles, was on stage demonstrating his skills.
“I’ve been shearing sheep for the past 50 years, and in that time, I’ve probably shorn 300,000 sheep,” Mr Johnson said.
“When you’re at work, you are there to do a job. But if it isn’t fun, it’s not worth it.”
Mr Johnson operates a sheep property between Bendigo and Colbinabbin.
One of the younger faces in the crowd was Max.
The three-year-old, who attended the field days with his parents, Ben and Amy, and younger sister, Lexie, 2, hails from Nagambie.
“I like the augers,” Max said.
The wet weather didn’t dampen the youngster’s spirits — he gave a thumbs up to the camera as Lexie watched on.
Attendees also took the chance to sate their appetite at the food trucks and stalls while the kids were entertained by the always popular camel rides.