Farm field day interest

Press, 26 April 1983, Page 44

Farm field day interest

Interest was high in computers during the South Island Young Farmers field days held recently on the Lincoln College mixed-crop-ping farm. A large marquee was devoted to electronics in agriculture and contained exhibits of electronics, computers, and related services. Firms or organisations exhibiting included “Bits and Bytes,” Commodore Computers, Farm Plan, the Kellog Farm Management Unit, Primary Software, Rural Computer Systems, and Small Business SoftDr Peter Nuthall, head of the Kellog Farm Management Unit, noting the in-

terest in the exhibits, said “It is very encouraging to see that farmers are looking very seriously at computers. ’’There are an increasing number ready to actually purchase a machine and start experimenting,” he said.

The unit had erected a display board to show what it was doing and was generally acting as a consultant to those attending, according to Mr Nuthall. He described the inquireies as “a lot of serious interest, compared with curious interest. “There was more serious interest from the younger farmers," he said, “but there were exceptions to the rule.”