Fourth and final Field Days for Paterson
The 2020 Southern Field Days will be the fourth and final one that Sharon Paterson will help organise.
Paterson, who has been the ‘go to’ person on anything field days related for the past six years, has decided to resign from her role as secretary and event manager.
‘’I want to spend more time with my grandchildren and focus on my Texel stud,’’ she said.
Paterson has seen the Southern Field Days grow and prosper over the years to become the largest agricultural field days in the South Island and the second largest in New Zealand behind Mystery Creek.
In 2018 more than 40,000 people attended the three-day event at Waimumu, near Gore.
‘’Farmers love it – it’s got a really great atmosphere and that’s why I think it’s so popular,’’ she said.
Paterson said she loved her work with Southern Field Days
‘’The job is just so incredibly diverse.’’ It takes a lot of time to organise such a big event – from co-ordinating more than 700 exhibitors to working with the committee to secure the parties that provide services for the event such as contractors, electricians, traffic management and toilet cleaners.
Paterson has overseen seen a lot of the changes at the field days.
She was involved in the establishment of the SFD Events Centre, which as well as housing many of the smaller exhibitors, was also used for other events such as the Indoor Charity Sheep Dog Trials and farm machinery demo days.
Her latest project has been helping the committee with the construction of a new toilet block which she says will enhance visitor experience.
‘’The contractors are calling it the flashest toilet block in Eastern Southland,’’ she said.
The event continued to grow and Paterson said another 2000 square metres of sites would be added for next year.
The Southern Field Days is so popular that when exhibitor applications opened in early May, more than 300 sites were filled in the first five days.
‘’Exhibitors are getting great bang for their buck at the field days so they keep coming back.’’
While many chased the sites with the most foot traffic, Paterson believed it didn’t matter where you were positioned if you had a great product.
‘’There was a guy selling a handy-piece (portable hand piece) and it didn’t matter where he was because everyone went looking for him.’’
When she’s not busy with field days, Paterson farms a sheep and beef property at Greenvale, near Waikaka, with husband Laurie in partnership with son Ross, his wife Steph and their three young children.
Together they farm a Hereford cattle stud along with Romney, Texel and Romex sheep studs.
Paterson said she was ready to move on, but would miss the many people she has worked with over the years.
She plans to spend more time with her four grandchildren and her Texel stud, of which she has 200 fully recorded ewes.
‘’I love everything about Texels – the meat, the muscling and their personalities.
‘’They are an amazing sheep and fantastic to work with,’’ she said.
Paterson said she wanted to delve more into the meat marketing side of the Texels.
However, she had a desire to make sure things were ‘just right’ before she retired after the field days in February.
‘’I want to make sure everything is safe for the future and sustainable for 15 to 20 years to come.’’
She was confident she was leaving the field days in good hands with new chairman Warren Ross at the helm and a great committee who put a lot of time and effort into making the field days such a success.
‘’Its been an amazing experience and its taught me how to roll with things,’’ she said.
Paterson’s position has been advertised and she was hoping her replacement would be working alongside her at the field days.
The Southern Field Days will be held at Waimumu, near Gore, from February 12 to 14.