WITH good autumn rain prompting a flurry of planting activity across South East Queensland farms, the outlook for the agribusiness sector ahead of the region's big June field days is looking stronger.
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CRT FarmFest has cemented its role both as the meeting place of rural north-eastern Australia and a launching pad for new products and services across the full range of agriculture industries.
This year marks the 35th FarmFest, to be held June 3 to 5.
Combined with the results of the latest agribusiness spending research by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which indicates farmers are looking to increase spending, on average by 31 per cent, on fencing, sheds, dams and other fixed infrastructure in the year ahead, the good start to winter has set the scene for a busy FarmFest.
As a show of the faith FarmFest's owners, Rural Press Events, hold in the event's future, big investments have been made in field improvements and innovations.
Rural Press Events general manager Barry Harley believes visitors to this year's event will be pleasantly surprised at the number of improvements.
"The simple grid pattern of the purpose-built FarmFest site makes it one of the best in Australia for visitors and includes a special area for livestock which, this year, with additional activity planned, will be bigger than ever," he said.
Changes to the event's car parking arrangements will allow more vehicles to be parked closer to the site.
As well, the organisers have teamed up with Volkswagen to run a courtesy shuttle bus to help visitors move around the static display area.
Other equally important improvements include more seating, more shade and the best steak sandwiches.
In 2014, it is expected more than 60,000 people will walk through its gates, but according to Mr Harley success is not measured on visitor counting but rather the results of exhibitors.
Initiated by a group of local media businesses who liked the concept of Gunnedah's AgQuip and felt the Darling Downs could do with its own field day event, the first FarmFest was held at the Toowoomba Airport.
Aside from a few years when it was put on hold, it has gone from strength to strength under more than one owner.
It was purchased in 2004 by Rural Press Events, a division of Fairfax Media, Australasia's largest metropolitan, regional and rural publisher and organiser and promoter of several fields days in Australia and New Zealand including AgQuip.
Mr Harley said CRT FarmFest was recognised as playing an important role in the Australian agricultural industry by offering opportunities to showcase new products and services, demonstrate machinery, highlight new technology and innovation and provide information to thousands of primary producers.
This year sees many new agricultural companies participating along with the many larger machinery companies, all keen to tap into the forecast lift in on-farm spending.
Research by the Commonwealth Bank, called the Agri Insights study, reported trends in 14 areas of farm production and investment intentions after questioning 1400 producers, almost 60pc of whom were aged between 45 and 65.
Horticulture had the largest number of farmers intending to expand production in 2014-15 at 15pc, followed by winter grain and sugar producers (10pc).
Following several big yielding harvests cotton growers are tipping a 23pc national decline in production intentions (with NSW down 29pc), indicative of concerns about declining water availability in major storages.
Beef production is also set to fall an average 9pc nationally and 29pc in Queensland, reflecting depressed markets and tough seasons in that State.
"Seasonal conditions have been very difficult for producers and that's certainly affecting short-term intentions, but the long-term beef outlook is strong and we remain confident in this sector," said CBA's Queensland agribusiness general manager, Haseda Fazlic.