4.00pm
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Warm, dry weather helped bring in the crowds as the Elmore Field Days got underway for 2018.
While it is too early to get a sense of exact numbers at the event public relations officer John Giffin said the signs were good.
“Look, I don’t know for sure but I reckon the crowd numbers are up from last year’s first day. Just driving around you could see it was quite busy,” he said.
That is even better for Elmore because generally the first day of the Field Days is the slowest of the three.
Mr Giffin believed cloudy weather kept the day turning too hot.
“They are talking about a few showers tomorrow, so we will see how we go,” he said.
Those thinking of heading along tomorrow can expect possible showers in the region, with nearby Bendigo expecting 23 degrees and a chance of a thunderstorm according the the Bureau of Meteorology.
1.35pm
With so many stalls on site the competition to catch the eye can be intense.
Every stallholder will tell you the products speak for themselves, but it never hurts to have an edge.
For some, it’s sheer size. A silo or tractor towering above neighbouring sites tends to stand out.
One company has a plane flying over the Field Days' site trailing a banner reading "Mitre 10 Rochy We Welcome You".
Eureka Garages and Sheds built two of its products - an American-style barn and a standard garage-style shed - on site three years ago. The group’s Steve Musgrove said the permanent structures replaced another shed sold at an Elmore Field Days event.
“We rebuilt using the existing footings and some of the more recent colours. Basically giving the whole thing a freshen up,” he said.
Displays are such a big deal that they can involve months of planning and coordination.
ASQ’s Travis Harrick said he and colleague Nat Que put together this year’s display of the company’s gardening, landscaping, quarries and concreting products.
After bringing together all products for a garden-themed display, the pair spent a total of three days on site laying everything out.
“We like to get in early and lift all the heavy stuff in,” Mr Harrick said.
That included a lot of mulch, crushed rocks, plants, chairs and tables cut out of huge slabs of stone.
Mr Harrick said all that effort was worth it as a branding tool.
He and Mr Musgrove both said they did not sell a lot of products at the Elmore Field Days but people did remember them months down the track and get in contact.
“This (the display) is more to showcase what we do and get that awareness out there,” Mr Harrick said.
ASQ last year won an award for best static display at the Field Days and Mr Harrick hoped the company would again be in the running.
“It would be nice to have a crack at it again,” he said.
12.45pm
Steam has always been in John Sparks’ life, from his time on a farm in England through service in the Navy and as his hobby today.
Mr Sparks was displaying five of his steam-powered farming machine replicas at the Elmore Field Days as well as a musical organ.
“I was only ever going to build the one,” he said.
“I built them from scratch and some of the bits I had made for me.”
It took eight years to put one together, four on another. He orders kits from England too, which can be quicker.
But his hobby is not cheap.
“When I done the car ten-year ago it was about $24,000, but I know that’s up around $30,000 now,” Mr Sparks said.
Mr Sparks’ engines are among the vintage tractors on display in the picnic area.
11am
Farmers are being urged to find out more about a new checklist for all terrain vehicles amid growing scepticism about crush protection devices.
Long-running concerns about the devices could soon come to a head, with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries aware of several farmers preparing to challenge WorkSafe Victoria rulings about their vehicles.
The FCAI’s Mark Collins was at the Elmore Field Days on Tuesday morning to launch a new safety tool and said research simulations and industry surveys suggested the devices caused just as many injuries as they prevented.
“The industry isn’t going to promote the crush protection device as a safety tool but we are going to promote a risk assessment tool so people can make decisions about their own risks,” he said.
The FCAI would begin sending out risk assessment kits from Friday and had found a spot Tuesday among motor company stalls at the field days to push their message.
The main risk from crush protection devices was that if a vehicle rolled, riders may not be able to fall away cleanly and instead could be crushed.
“It could cause an injury, with the ATV remaining on top of the rider,” Mr Collins said.
“But also, you could get struck by the bar on the way over.”
Mr Collins said farmers were telling the FCAI they were receiving improvement notices from WorkSafe, requiring them to fit devices regardless of specific circumstances.
“We know particular farmers are getting ready to challenge WorkSafe. They don’t believe a crush protection device is going to help them in their situation, or they have put other measures in place,” he said.
“What we are starting to hear is that some farmers are not real happy about being handed an improvement notice and are starting to take action.”
That included legal action.
The FCAI’s new tool was designed to get people thinking about the typical hazards on their properties and consider ways of training, avoiding certain areas or substituting vehicles.
“All the things that are in the work health safety procedures for following a risk assessment, but not necessarily fitting a crush protection device,” Mr Collins said.
For more information on the kits click here.
Earlier
Organisers are expecting plenty of interest but reduced sales at this year’s Elmore Field Days.
When farmers hit dry years they are just as keen on the field days but can be reluctant to spend big, the group’s John Giffin says.
“I think people will be coming along for a look this year,” he said.
“You’d call them the tyre-kickers. They will come out and buy the things they need but they won’t spend on the big ticket items they want.”
That said, organisers hoped to get 10,000 people through the gates a day and people certainly would be interested in having a look at the latest and greatest.
“There’s always new and improved bits of machinery out there. Drones and satellite imagery,” Mr Giffin said.
“Farmers are always looking for something new a different because you need to keep up with the pace of change if you can.”
The Elmore Field Days takes place from Tuesday to Thursday at the Elmore Events Centre.
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