THE sun was out and there was not a cloud in the sky at Henty yesterday.
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It was a far cry from last year’s opening of the annual Henty Machinery Field Days when visitors tackled mud and rain.
Visitors left their gumboots at home yesterday in favour of thongs, runners and leather boots.
Victorian Farmers Federation vice-president David Jochinke opened the event with some words of advice.
“Field days are about seeing the latest equipment out there, but also meeting new people and catching up with old friends,” he said.
“I hope you do that because it’s a good chance to get out and about.”
There are 800 exhibitors this year and more than 60,000 visitors are expected through the gates.
Field Days chairman Ross Edwards said the event last year had celebrated 50 years of solid growth.
“Naturally, we are now looking over the horizon to the next 50 years,” he said.
Mr Edwards said the challenge for Australian farmers for the next 50 years would be to focus on farming smarter and not harder.
“It’s also about dealing with the practical challenges of climate change and extreme weather events, changing consumer habits and rising input costs,” he said.
“This is compounded by increasing urbanisation, mining, water use and population growth.
“We believe the family farm remains the backbone of regional communities and will play a pre-eminent role in the future of the nation’s agricultural industry.
“We need to ensure our regional communities, both large and small, strive both economically and socially.”
Mr Edwards said critical to this was the fostering and developing of a skill base among youth to make agriculture their career.
“They will be the ones ensuring rural Australia prospers and has a sustainable future as we head towards 2050,” he said.