Writing on the wall / sign of things to come?

[Cowabunga]

The problem is fundamental. The increased size and low profitability of farming enterprises. Combine the lower spending of farmers with lower margins and lower volume sales to farmers with significantly increased costs for shows, like the police and 'elf and safety and you have the perfect show-storm. Even the bigger specialist events are dying out.

I don't attend a fraction of the shows I used to, because partly of the cost and partly perhaps because I'm older and lost the enthusiasm I once had for such things and even for agriculture. Possibly working on show stands for days on end for a decade doesn't help either.

 

[JP1]

The costs and risks for "promoters" is massive. Unless you can carve a niche, nobody is that willing to pump prime new events and exhibitions. The costs of staging outdoor type events is also often higher funding the necessary infrastructure and temporary overlay.

I found it quite sad going to Beef Expo at Stoneleigh Park and seeing the entire infrastructure and former RASE showground and demonstration units falling in to decay.

The likes of Haymarket came in only because the RASE business model no longer worked.



Same with publications, I'm not sure whether it's better to have "advertorial" and free copy or pay for my copy and expect some good journalism.

The plain fact is there isn't enough differentiation to create good farmer interest in many events, too many, too much time / distance away.

If I was in events now I wouldn't go near a farmer / farming based event

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Part of Stoneleigh Park is being left to crumble because it will be demolished for HS2

It doesn't look good on the north side but the south side is better

 

[Cowabunga]

Part of Stoneleigh Park is being left to crumble because it will be demolished for HS2

It doesn't look good on the north side but the south side is better

I was up there the other day and stayed at Woodland Court hotel. Is the railway scything through the estate farm? Perhaps through the golf-course, Stateton and Abbey Park industrial estate?

 

[Wolds Beef]

But the shows are a shop window for our industry and if you breed pedigree livestock you also need that window to show to other breeders what you are producing. County shows need to keep a rural interest for us. They are also a way of getting out! As a lot of us work alone and now see very few people. I have very few holidays so we treat the county as a holiday, take an old! caravan and enjoy 2 nights away.
WB

 

[JP1]

But the shows are a shop window for our industry and if you breed pedigree livestock you also need that window to show to other breeders what you are producing. County shows need to keep a rural interest for us. They are also a way of getting out! As a lot of us work alone and now see very few people. I have very few holidays so we treat the county as a holiday, take an old! caravan and enjoy 2 nights away.
WB

I agree but a family of 4 need to budget £120+ for the day , so it has to be right

 

[Martin Holden]

Let's not forget there are a lot less customers/farmers around now compared to say 20 years ago, in the days when most county shows were also full of 'paying' farmers.

Yup, I've. Even saying the same for sometime. A smaller target audience results in "pressure points" and exhibitions are just one example of the changing face of the agricultural industry.

 

[Dolomite]

Farmers Weekly going up for sale too shows that the markets for farmers income is tough. I don't have it anymore and very rarely buy even the odd copy due to poor articles and it's full of bloody adverts. Ok if you want something but I want to learn things to make better decisions. The same with farmers guardian over half is adverts and for sale classifieds. If you thought you were getting value for money you'd buy it still but just seems like it's the farming worlds version of the Sun at times.

The farming scene in this country I would say is going through or is about to go through a fair change in many ways and for many reasons.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I was up there the other day and stayed at Woodland Court hotel. Is the railway scything through the estate farm? Perhaps through the golf-course, Stateton and Abbey Park industrial estate?

From what I hear it will take the old dairy and beef units and that top side of the park.

 

[Old John]

What I didn't like was after paying £24 for a ticket at the gate they made you fill in 4 pages of your personal business details on a computer. If you didn't, security refused you entry (Nightclub bouncer fashion!).

They said they were increasing data capture... Probably they will sell the data.

All really insulting, but there always was something a bit arrogant about the show and the way it was run.

This can really be fun though, I've always told them the biggest lot of BS that I can think of or used a totally fictitious persona. I hope they enjoy inputting it into whatever data base they stick it in.

 

[Tarw Coch]

What I didn't like was after paying £24 for a ticket at the gate they made you fill in 4 pages of your personal business details on a computer. If you didn't, security refused you entry (Nightclub bouncer fashion!).

They said they were increasing data capture... Probably they will sell the data.

All really insulting, but there always was something a bit arrogant about the show and the way it was run.

Bar stewards............I mean door stewards

Did they have any way of verifying if the 4 pages. Of info were correct?
Someone who didn't like it could have some fun filling that out!

 

[Filthyfarmer]

Farmers Weekly going up for sale too shows that the markets for farmers income is tough. I don't have it anymore and very rarely buy even the odd copy due to poor articles and it's full of bloody adverts. Ok if you want something but I want to learn things to make better decisions. The same with farmers guardian over half is adverts and for sale classifieds. If you thought you were getting value for money you'd buy it still but just seems like it's the farming worlds version of the Sun at times.

The farming scene in this country I would say is going through or is about to go through a fair change in many ways and for many reasons.

Had to smile at the FW board had outside their stand while munching through my bacon sarnie in the NFU stand opposite

Read something like , current issue plus key ring £2, add on baseball cap £4........

No wonder sales are plummeting!

 

[Yale]

Had to smile at the FW board had outside their stand while munching through my bacon sarnie in the NFU stand opposite

Read something like , current issue plus key ring £2, add on baseball cap £4........

No wonder sales are plummeting!

Father has the FW every week,lucky if I spend 5 mins flicking through it.

I spend hours on here.

Says it all how media is going.

 

[Gong Farmer]

From the Proagrica site (Farmers Weekly is part of Proagrica)

 

[rob1]

This can really be fun though, I've always told them the biggest lot of BS that I can think of or used a totally fictitious persona. I hope they enjoy inputting it into whatever data base they stick it in.

I am usually Mr D Duck, had to do the same form for skittles club we played in for a while and had to have committee members sponsor your app, I didnt know who they were so just put down Mr D Duck and Mrs M mouse, bloke comes back with it and says I dont know these two people and gave me a couple of real names, he just didnt twig, jobs worth

 

[Campbell]

This can really be fun though, I've always told them the biggest lot of BS that I can think of or used a totally fictitious persona. I hope they enjoy inputting it into whatever data base they stick it in.

"Don't tell them Pike"

 

[DrWazzock]

I'm just a small farmer but even my time is too valuable to spend a day walking round stalls selling kit that is completely unaffordable. Everything can be found on line nowadays and I'm not short of ideas for getting rid of cash.

I don't mind some shows for a jolly day out but they aren't a productive use of my time.

 

[Superted820]

A

Paying to go to cereals is like having to pay to go into a shop to have a look around.
The exhibitors should bear the cost, then more farmers would attend so making it more cost effective for the exhibitors.

I absolutely agree with you. It infuriates me to have to pay to ultimately talk to salespeople. As a result I haven't been for a few years now.

 

[farenheit]

Is anyone else getting e-mails from Adama since registering or is it just me?? I didn't go, only registered to see what the ticket price was going to work out at...didn't bother after that!!

 

[Wolds Beef]

Well I might upset somebody! I drove in got to a car park, walked to a gate, two guys said they could not let me in. Another guy did the same and we agreed £20 with these guys. Therefore they earned 20 quid each and we got in, No silly forms or anything!! Was not worth the 20 Quid, I will not bother again. Some stands were even unmanned(TFF) what was that all about?
WB