General News
10 March, 2026
Field Days bounce back after rain
DESPITE the cancellation of the first day after over 100 millimetres of rain fell for a few days before on the event’s site in Dooen, the Wimmera Machinery Field Days enjoyed excellent sunny weather for the remaining two days, quickly erasing any memory of the unusual lead-up.
Both exhibitors and attendees made the most of the remaining time, as the site quickly dried out and only a few patches of ground showed evidence of the recent deluge.
WMFD president, Harry Young, said the situation they found themselves in was obviously unexpected in its extent.
“I think we were a bit shocked to get 50 (mm) on that Friday night,” he said.
“That went in really well ... the ground was so dry, so it sort of just disappeared. But then, as it kept raining, you just had to keep pumping the water off.
“Normally, we plan for dust, not rain, so it's not really set up to handle that sort of rain.”
He said the call to cancel on Tuesday, the day before, was the right one: “As time went on, that just became the better and better decision.”
“I think we did a great job under the circumstances ... we did have the site very dry on Monday, but those (extra) showers just made things very difficult,” Mr Young said.
The WMFD president said that the crowd on Wednesday was “excellent, terrific,” and that exhibits such as the old farm trucks had been very popular with the older generation.
“You saw old blokes climbing onto trucks and all sorts of things like that, which I think’s fantastic,” he said.
Mr Young was pleased with the exhibits that had won awards, such as the Goldacres G8 boom spray being named machine of the year, and noted that the Swayne & McCabe outdoor exhibit had a sandpit on its site.
“I think that was a bit of a novelty, which no one had really seen before,” he said.
The 2026 site award winners were Goldacres (Machine of the Year), A.I. Gorithm (Ag Business Innovation of the Year), Swayne & McCabe CLAAS Harvest Centre (Best Ag machinery outdoor site), Crop Opti (Best general outdoor site), PSS AG (Best Alan Heard Pavilion site), Wimmera Men’s Shed (Best Moore Exhibition Centre site) and Unbeleafable (Best Country Lifestyle site).
The WMFD also welcomed three new life members – Alister Cameron, Darryl McCrae and John Aisbett - who were recognised at a lunch for their long-standing service and dedication to the Field Days.