More than $100 million has changed hands at Australia's largest agricultural field day.
It's a hefty figure but one that is not surprising given the confidence in the agricultural sector on the back of high commodity prices and favourable seasonal conditions in many parts of the country.
ACM Rural Events group manager Kate Nugent said the Aon AgQuip field days was the meeting place of rural Australia last week.
More than 90,000 visitors passed through the gates at Gunnedah, NSW, with farmers there to talk business, inspect and buy equipment.
Ms Nugent said the goods on site were valued at more than $155m.
"There is no doubt this was an AgQuip that was highly representative of the halcyon days of the 1980s in field day marketing," she said.
"We had aisle after aisle of gems from ag companies; they came here to sell and indeed they did."
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NAB regional and agribusiness bank executive Warrick Grieve was on site at the event and said the mood throughout the three days was positive.
Mr Grieve said interest had been across the board and expected there would be a follow-through effect with people nailing down what they want.
"Post AgQuip we've put out a lot of quotes for equipment finance for machines and the livestock side of things as well," he said.
"They might look at two or three tractors or two or three cattle crushes and that's the beauty of those shows, they can see everything in one or two days.
"These events are where people can see, feel and touch things and understand what they want and what's best for their business."
Ms Nugent said the interest in agricultural products and services was broad ranging from motor vehicles and farm equipment to tools and tanks.
She said new exhibitors to AgQuip in the agtech space also had a really exciting first time experience.
"What was overwhelming was the constant reporting from exhibitors of all stock sold and the shear number of orders being taken," she said.
"Reporting around livestock equipment was high, with some businesses selling all their cattle crushes and a strong interest in hydraulic."
Some of those who bought equipment may have to wait 18 months to two years to see the gear arrive.
However, Ms Nugent said the event had given agricultural companies an opportunity to plan for recruitment, training, and research and development as a result of how AgQuip had incentivised their sales.
"It was such an empowering impact of sales that has taken us into a new realm where our ag companies are now looking to the future and looking at how they can develop products suiting out Australian conditions," she said.
