‘Australia’s largest and premier primary industry field days’ made its 2025 opening on Tuesday.
While Wednesday may have brought the rain to AgQuip, Tuesday’s weather was perfect for the official opening.
Speaking at the presentation at The Land’s site were managing director ACM Tony Kendell, general manager ACM Agri Events Craig Chapman, national ag news editor Penelope Arthur and Gunnedah Shire Council mayor Colleen Fuller.
The mayor reminisced on AgQuip’s evolution throughout the decades and said it was great to see the amount of effort gone into organising the field days.
“Eight hundred exhibitors are here and to see so many varieties [of stallholders is great],” Cr Fuller said.
“It is something that Gunnedah looks forward to each year.
“I don’t think there’s anything bigger and better for Gunnedah and we hope to continue that for a long time.”
Mr Chapman said it was an honour to be one of the host organisers of the “iconic event”.
“It’s an opportunity for suppliers, manufacturers, particularly local manufacturers, to get face-to-face with their customers, whether they’re new or existing,” he said.
“That’s not always common in this digital world that we’re operating in.
“That face-to-face touch and [opportunity to] build a relationship is what field days like AgQuip provide and I think that’s really important.”
New additions were brought to the field day such as the tractor games, where brands went head to head in the field.
Another was the ‘Local to the Plains’ precinct, showcasing community groups, education and businesses.
“You get a bit of a feel and no doubt a taste of this region with the exhibitors down there,” Mr Chapman said.
He said data and modeling suggests the field days bring in about $10 million to the economy per year. He said another benefit was the social impact it has.
“We have farmers walking around this site, bumping into old neighbors, the bloke they used to butt heads with at footy games, school friends – they’re largely working whether alone or in a tight family unit,” he said.
“To have an environment like this where they can interact and bump into those people is really valuable.
“You can’t measure it and then there’s no data modeling on that one, but I think that’s really core to what we provide here as well.”
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Craig Chapman, Senator Bridget McKenzie, Gunnedah Shire Council mayor Colleen Fuller, Tony Kendell and Member for Parkes Jamie Chaffey at the opening of AgQuip on Tuesday.
