SOUTH East Field Days chairman Doug Crosby could not be happier with the attendance and exhibitor feedback at this year's event, especially considering the challenging conditions on the first day.
Strong winds and wet weather kept some away on Friday but Saturday proved a bumper.
"Crowd numbers were down by about 1500 on the Friday, but we more than made up for that on the Saturday," Mr Crosby said.
"We ended up with 21,000 people through the gate, which is only a bit short of a record crowd."
He said more than 600 exhibitors took part this year and had positive feedback on sales.
Mr Crosby said the field days had plenty of highlights including the Lumberjack Show, an event where Canadians, Americans and New Zealanders demonstrated their skills on wood.
Under the guidance of the Lucindale Lions Club, the field days raise funds for the South East and wider community.
On the Friday, club president Dave Brooker donated $24,200 to 12 local bodies and charities. The Kingston Hospital was the biggest beneficiary, receiving funds to the tune of $10,000.
The latest in farming technology caught the attention of many.
On the hotlist were drones. The military has been using them for years to gather intelligence but Southern Precision Pty Ltd's Grant Yates is in no doubt they will have huge benefits for agriculture.
About a month ago, the Naracoorte-based spraying equipment and precision agriculture company bought a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle after researching its options for more than six months.
The battery powered DJI S800 EVO can be in the air for 20 minutes and is controlled by a ground station, enabling it to move up to one kilometre from the source.
It is fitted with a standard camera which can take aerial imagery and a modified camera can be attached to produce red and near infra red information to calculate the NDVI (a crop biomass index).
The EVO has created strong interest among broadacre farmers and vignerons, even an inquiry from a flood irrigator who wants to monitor his bays.
"There has been exponential growth in those applying for licences with CASA in the past 12 to 18 months, with agriculture a huge growth area because of less privacy issues," Mr Yates said.
"You can select a flight path from your iPad and a camera will take images at set intervals, which can be downloaded."
* Full report in Stock Journal, March 27, 2014 issue.
