"Hang in there" - that's the message Fonterra chairman John Wilson was giving to farmers at Fieldays.

COMMENT: The big question is whether Fieldays still provides an accurate barometer for NZ's agriculture sector and by proxy the wider economy.

Fieldays announcement gives $600,000 for mental health.

Attendance at Fieldays on day two of the four-day agricultural event was up 10 per cent on the same day last year.

A New Zealand company has developed technology that promises to deliver real-time data for farmers - from the sky.

Doug Avery knows what it's like to be depressed.

The crankholder is set to revolutionise the fencing industry ... or at least make it much easier to build a fence.

WATCH: Despite the dairy downturn a big lift in kiwifruit and apple exports has boosted agricultural revenue.

Agriculture exports have risen despite the dairy downturn. Liam Dann talks to KPMG’s Simon Hunter and NZEIR economist Christina Leung about what’s driving growth.

Dairy product prices have held steady at the latest Global Dairy Trade auction.

New Zealand's native parrot the kea, an Australian bushfire and a toasted marshmallow were just three of the inspirations behind the Fieldays Ag Art Wear extravaganza.

Eight Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year contenders lined up with nine bachelorettes in a blind date challenge at today's national agricultural expo south of Hamilton.

There are some high tech solutions being organised to help keep Fieldays traffic manageable.

New Zealand's primary sector needs to innovate and reinvent itself if it is to thrive, KMPG says.

Fieldays' new boss claims it has all the ingredients to be a success, despite tougher times for dairy farmers.

Roasting marshmallows with a bunch of 5-year-olds was a different challenge altogether for this year's rural bachelor contestants.

Big buys at annual agricultural event are likely to be lower on the shopping list for some who are hurting, especially dairy farmers.

Attendance at Fieldays at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton, was up by 5.2 per cent compared with last year's weather-affected event.

There have been good crowds reported at this year's Fieldays event near Hamilton.

Fonterra chairman John Wilson says he knows farmers are increasingly anxious about low farm-gate milk prices.

A national programme to address rural depression will be developed in recognition of challenging times for farmers including volatility in milk prices.

Fonterra says it will lay off hundreds of its 1500 head office staff in a major review following the decline in dairy prices.

Thousands are expected at the first day of National Fieldays today with a tractor pull competition, air displays and machinery exhibitions set to entertain the crowds.

New Zealand's largest agriculture expo kicks off tomorrow with the spotlight on innovation in the agritech sector.

Two Auckland men met about two years ago and in that short time they have discovered they have the same passion - cleaning up waterways.

Farmers at this week's Fieldays at Mystery Creek will have cost control and innovation on their minds as they try and mitigate the impact of a cashflow crunch caused by sharply lower dairy....

Pull on your gumboots for four days of exhibitions, contests, entertainment, food and even art and fashion at Hamilton's Fieldays, says Sarah Ell.

The mood among farmers at this year’s annual national Fieldays was buoyant, despite the prospect of a drop in the dairy payout in the coming year, event organisers said.