Grey clouds did not dampen the mood at our Annual Machinery Auction on 24 May 2023.
This highly anticipated event has been running every year since 2015 and is an opportunity for farmers to secure a deal on new and used agricultural gear.
The barbecue was firing, the coffee was hot and so were the auction results. As the hammer fell on farm trailers, mowers, tractors, mulchers, harrows, spreaders and more, dozens of satisfied farmers returned to their land with a bargain in tow. Attendee numbers were slightly down from 2022, but over 70 farmers registered on the day and enjoyed the hospitality of a barbecue lunch, coffee and donuts.
Mike Wearmouth opened the event with a strong message to “clear the gear” and he encouraged farmers to beat inflation by securing quality products before the inevitable price rises hit.
Maungaturoto farmer and National Party candidate for Northland Grant McCallum attended and gave a quick address to the group. Grant spoke of a plan to advocate for farmers with strong fiscal management. Getting inflation and interest rates under control would be the priority. He pointed out the vital role of our farming community for New Zealand’s economy and how the focus would be on lowering costs for this sector. “Lack of confidence for investing needs to be addressed so farmers can get on with their role of propelling the country forward with innovative farming practices,” said Mr McCallum.
A notable Dargaville kumara grower was also in the crowd. Michael Frood is best remembered as the country boy in TVNZs Bachelorette who courageously walked away from the series. Today was less about romance and more about business, with Michael bidding for a Tortella Mulcher and winning it for $1700+GST.
Over 50 lots of gear were sold, many starting with $1 reserves. In the line-up, local farmer Neil Dempster offered an 80HP tractor with good tyres and a tank of diesel, this sold for a paltry $20k. One of the lucky bidders picked up an old trailer crate for the grand total of $10! Their smile far exceeded the value of the purchase after securing such an incredible deal. Another memorable sale was a set of FarmMax SmartGrabs. Being election year there were multiple colours available, yet the winning bidder chose the red ones right in front of National Party candidate Grant McCallum, much to his amusement.
Farming is challenging with rising costs, labour shortages and ongoing weather events. But last week, the sun shone on farmers from Puhoi to Kaitaia and the FarmShop team were encouraged by the positive mood in the yard.