Bruce Emerson, director of Hawke's Bay-based agricultural materials recovery firm 3R, said in previous years few farmers ventured into the stand, but this year a steady stream of visitors was coming through the company's exhibit reports Stuff. Mr Emerson's firm, which offers agricultural chemical and plastic recovery services, has been at Fieldays for three years, and he had noticed "a good uptake" of its messages and services. People were "piling in through the tent", a major change from 2007 when few cared to look. "We don't have to try too hard to get people interested," Mr Emerson said, noting a "rising awareness of environmental issues" in the agricultural sector. Mr Emerson believed many farmers were coming under increased scrutiny from their own children, who were asking questions such as "why are you burning that plastic wrap?", "shouldn't you recycle that?". "We put the services out there, and most farmers are aware of the need to improve their on-farm environment." Mr Emerson said consumers were aware of New Zealand's "clean and green" image, and were more interested in farming practices. Traditional burn-offs and chemical dumping on farms were no longer acceptable and his firm was able to dispose of farm waste in an environmentally friendly and safe way. OrganicAg's Paeroa-based Bill Quinn, who has been involved in organic agriculture for 20 years, said farmers were increasingly "switching on" to organic methods, and he pitched the economic benefits of organic production to those who visit his stand. Certified organic produce, produced using biological rather than chemical methods, was experiencing an increasing demand and farmers could profit from it: "It's the only growth market. Certified organic produce is recognised worldwide as clean and green."After just one day of Fieldays, Mr Quinn said, he'd spoken to representatives of 15 dairy farms and six sheep farms moving towards fully organic operations. "They've been talking about it, looking at it, using some of the practices and now they're ready to go the whole hog, and do the job properly," he said.
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