Day 1 of Norco Primex or People's Day as it was known was a huge success for CEO Bruce Wright and his team as a record crowd of an estimated 7,000 strolled through the gates keen to see the latest in agribusiness equipment and know-how in action and on display. 

‘It’s been eighteen months since the last Primex and after the last couple of years we’ve had with COVID and flooding, the crowd is just so happy to be back celebrating and supporting those enterprises that are the backbone of our region,’ Primex Field Days Director Bruce Wright said.

"This year seems a lot busier", Alan from AJ Magney's told the Lismore App. With around 370 local, national and international exhibitors, the most Primex has ever had, along with the free day today, it appears to be a thriving environment full of everything farm, hobby farm, primary production, landholder, and everything in between!

Alan said "there are bargains to be had for sure, and we have had great feedback, it seems our community is waiting for the buybacks and the house raising/relocations, some will be doing different things, some will move on, and some will stay and continue, but things in agriculture seem to be changing in general, there are a wider range of stallholders here, including beekeepers and carbon acuity specialists.

We spoke with Chris from Bolt Barn who said "for anyone still wanting to replace their tools or upgrade, there is no better time than Primex as I have representatives from Milwaukee tools here on site, who can offer incredible discounts. We have a large range on display for anyone wishing to come and check things out."

Chris also said it had been very busy and that the community had been very positive "everyone is just ready for fun events to go to after the hear we have had".

For the farmers who may be concerned about the feed shortages predicted and current situation, North East Coast Agronomist Zac Geldoff from Agrimix told the Lismore App that after the feed shortage, it was far too wet to get Rye Grass in, and that there will be a continued shortage due to winter crops not going in, and that the flooding across the state and SE QLD will indeed bring continued shortages for the upcoming months and year ahead, however, if we do get back to some more normal weather, the great news is, that we will bounce back fairly quickly.

Zac recommends getting some Millet in for a quick growing feed, but is available for the show to chat to anyone who may be interested in how to best plan ahead for their stockfeed and land needs.

In the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) building there were a number of useful exhibitors, but one, in particular, might pique the interest of the Lismore community. The Bureau is there supporting farmers to engage with a new prototype that incorporates all the climate projection modelling and based on their specific address and type of agricultural pursuits, it maps with incredible accuracy and details, what farmers can expect, and therefore plan for and mitigate against.

Also in the DPI building, we spoke with Jamie from Greencollar, one of the first Carbon project developers in Australia, now a global company, they have reached enough scale that even smaller farmers and landholders can apply to partner with them, for some extra income, using their Carbon Farming model, and in turn, improving their farm and our environment in one.

With music in the background and so much to see, wonderful local food to eat and as Alan says "a beautiful day, with excellent weather ahead" Primex is well worth the trip out to Casino.

Some attendees did comment on the need to bring your own water, and encouraged booking online additionally which you can do here.