Many events across rural SA have been cancelled in the past two years due to COVID uncertainty, with the latest omicron wave only adding to the tally.
In the past week, Angaston and Tanunda shows set for February 26 and March 12 , as well as Karoonda Farm Fair & Show scheduled for April 1 and 2, have been cancelled.
Several other autumn shows are still considering whether to go ahead.
Angaston will still hold its three-day horses in action program on February 25, 26 and 27, and clever cooks will be able to enter the Central Districts Shows Association's semi final for the Rich Fruit Cake and Genoa Cake competitions at Tanunda.
SA Country Shows president Rosie Schultz says it is unfortunate after a run of spring shows were missed last year that a few autumn shows have met the same fate.
However she can understand committees' decisions not wanting to put their volunteers and community at risk.
"Last year it was the pressures around COVID plans and SA Health only granting approval at the 11th hour for some, but now we are starting to see COVID out in the community, even though people are boosted and vaccinated," she said.
"All country shows run and operate with a volunteer base, sometimes a very small one, so it could be devastating if they were to get COVID in the lead up to their show."
Mrs Schultz said Mount Pleasant, Mundulla and Mount Barker were definitely forging ahead with their upcoming shows and was hopeful many others would be held in 2022.
"We are all going to have to learn to live with this (COVID), I can't see the big shows like Adelaide cancelling for the third year in a row," she said.
"The ones that will be really affected will be the stallholders, many may not recover."
Tanunda Show secretary/treasurer Debbie Miles said it had been a difficult decision and not one the committee had made lightly to cancel their March 12 show.
"Things are changing all the time with the omicron variant and COVID restrictions and regulations," she said.
"With the uncertainty of what other changes may occur within the next few weeks we believe it is in the best interest of the community and our many valuable show volunteers.
"If our key volunteers who we rely on heavily were to contract COVID they would have to isolate along with others as close contacts, it would make the running of the show difficult."
Mrs Miles said they were fortunate they had cancelled before non-refundable costs added up.
"We don't know if there will be Federal (govt) grants available that have helped many shows there is no guarantee those grants for shows that cancel will be around for a third year," she said.
"We will be back with a bigger and better show in 2023, incorporating the redevelopment currently happening in the Tanunda Recreation Park."
Angaston AH&F Society secretary Siobhan Barnden said the COVID uncertainty had played a big part in the decision.
Their other challenge was delays in construction of sporting facilities at the Angaston Recreation Park. This had prevented the show being able to use all areas of the grounds.
"We had limited space for trade sites and entertainment and people moving around would have created issues for the horses,so rather than running at a financial loss, which could have been quite large, it was easier to cancel," she said.
"It was a shame as it was to be our 125th show but next year we can make it bigger and better."
Karoonda Farm Fair & Show manager Ray Bald said they had been fortunate to hold the event last year but with many more active COVID cases in the community it was "too hard".
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"At this stage there are 17 (people) in Karoonda that have got it, we are only a small community and if a few of the major players were to get it we would have a hard problem sorting it out and getting it going," he said.
Mr Bald -who has managed the event for 38 years- was also not confident that they would get the 3000 people through the gates needed to break even.
"People's habits have changed, they are just going and doing their shopping and going home, no one is doing any tyre kicking or looking around the shops," he said.
"That is what field days are all about, people going up and down the aisles."
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