It looks like a winter of content down on the farm

Farmers at the Fieldays seem in good spirits. Picture / Richard Robinson

It's been a bit of a mixed bag for farmers in recent times. They've been hit by lower commodity prices, a lower forecast Fonterra payout and rising costs due, in part, to a weaker dollar. But these have been offset by a lower dollar which has started to bump up their export returns.

So, how's the mood among those at the Fieldays at Mystery Creek? "It's far from depressed," says Fieldays chairman and Morrinsville dairy farmer Lloyd Downing, although "we're not jumping over the moon".

With the dollar down, a record production season just behind them and stable milk prices forecast, dairy farmers are in a generally good mood, he says.

Matamata dairy farm manager Ernst Jan is also positive about the future for dairying and hopes eventually to buy a farm for himself.

"The milk price is still pretty good. It might go up."

However, AmBreed's managing director, Graham Bowen, says his dairy farmer customers are a little wary of a flat period ahead and this will affect what they're prepared to spend.

"We've had no price increases for three or four years and going into a period like this, there's no room to lift them in the immediate future."

Meanwhile, Kevin Farmilo is returning to his Waikato rural roots next month, getting out of his aluminium window business because he's "had enough of Auckland". He will farm beef and sheep at Otorohanga.

He's confident of making a go of it despite any potential problems.

"It's all cyclic - no matter what industry you're in, there's ups and downs."

Lamb prices had come back and the lower dollar also helped.

"It's got to pay its way."

Mr Farmilo says he has other income and that will be important in helping him weather any bad patches.

His brother Owen - a Matamata sheep, beef and dairy grazing farmer - is also philosophical about the cyclical nature of farming.

"If you keep your tie on long enough it'll become fashionable again."

He says he is earning a good living and expects to maintain his income and not cut back on spending.

"The [lower] dollar is certainly having a positive effect. The negative side is costs like fuel are higher."

But with commodity prices reasonably stable, he believes the positive and negative effects of the dollar will, for him, roughly offset each other.

Sheep and beef farmer Trevlyn Viles, from Colyton near Feilding, is a 40-year agricultural veteran who also welcomes a weaker dollar.

"We're hopeful that as the dollar comes down and stabilises, our New Zealand dollar returns will stay up."

That should help increase prices paid for his produce.

"Our mood has been positive because farming has taken hits over the years. We've learned to take the highs and lows."

Inglewood beef and sheep farmer Bryan Hocken - the Taranaki Federated Farmers president - is another exuding confidence.

"If you go round with a gloom and doom attitude you will get doom and gloom."

But the ardent activist against dog micro-chipping takes a few pot shots at the Government for not cutting farmers' compliance costs.

"They're not listening to the farmers. [We've] had a gutsful with compliance costs."

Amid the Fieldays tents, National's leader Don Brash also takes a swipe at the Government over the subject.

"I think [farmers] want a fair break and they want particularly the obstacles to their progress to be cleared away."