With drought conditions across the state, exhibitors of big ticket items struggled for sales at the Henty Machinery Field Days – with buyers more likely to invest in parts over new tractors.
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Jarrod Stoll, of Riverina’s Stoll Spraying Equipment, said there was plenty of people interested in their boomsprays, but not many people willing to pull out their wallet before they know how the season would end.
“It’s been pretty good, not a lot of firm sales but people are looking,” he said.
“The outlook is still reasonably positive, people are saying ‘I love the machine, I reckon I’ll buy it just not this year’.”
Mr Stoll has exhibited at Henty field days since about 2003, and said they generally have high sales at the event, being so close to their base in Wagga.
“Obviously it’s a bloody tough season,” he said.
“It’s all anyone is talking about, the only thing people are saying it’s ‘it’s so dry’.
“People are reluctant to spend just yet, they want to see what will happen.
“We’re definitely down on sales. We’ve still sold products still, but the biggest thing is people aren’t committing, they say they’re going to, but not actually buying like previous years.”
Mr Stoll said the drought, and lack of certainty about how the season will turn out, has affected farmers across the state.
“Even the crops around here, if you didn’t know you’d think it was fantastic, but they’ve had frost and a lot of people are mowing the canola for hay,” he said.
Field days chairman Ross Edwards said with nearly 60,000 through the gates, good commodity prices and decent interest rates there was plenty of serious inquiries, if not solid sales.
“It’s about the machines people need next year, that they’ll have to have next year,” he said,
“Exhibitors are getting a lot of strong inquiries with fellows saying ‘I need it, I can’t do it at the moment but I’ll do it next year’.
“It’s still good, it’s why they come and showcase their machinery here, put it before the people.
“I think the big thing out of it is everyone is still positive, it’s not doom and gloom.”
Jindera farmer Jonathon Schulz said everyone was nervously waiting to see what was to come.
“I think they’re tightening their belts,” he said.
“If they’re not drought affected they’re very nervous.
“We’re in the very nervous stage at home.
“We’re all sweating on that next rain, that doesn’t look like its coming.”
Ian Clusker from Bendigo’s Waste-Not Stock Feeders has exhibited for 12 years and said the drought had dampened people’s willingness to spend.
But doesn’t rule out a boom of sales later.
“We are finding that farmers are not spending a lot on capital equipment this year, but they’ve been fortunate that fat lambs and cattle are fetching good money,” he said.
“That means when the season changes they can get back into it again.”
However Chris White of Walterscheid, who manufacture custom parts, said this year has actually been bigger than 2017.
“Last year, farmers had the cash and were buying big equipment,” he said.
“But for us it felt slow. This year, considering the drought, we’ve had more people asking the right questions.”
Mr White speculates that in a tough year people are more likely to buy components to upgrade machinery, rather than brand new machines.
Regardless spirits remained high throughout the field days, with plenty of reasons to celebrate.
On Thursday Mr Schulz was crowned Mr John Deere, while West Wyalong’s Gail Collins took out the Ms John Deere title.
The competition ran to mark 100 years of John Deere, with a 100 year old Waterloo Boy on display, a gathering of JD fans and a centenary cake.
Mr Schulz believes the knitted John Deere jumper, borrowed off his old man, put him ahead of the competition.
While Mrs Collins’ dedication to John Deere was proven back in 2008, when she married her husband John – a John Deere dealer– with green and gold wedding colours and two tractors in tow.
“He’s been John Deere his whole life and it just rubbed off on me,” he said.