By Steven Lang
The Bathurst Agricultural Show is back in full force as if COVID never happened. Traffic was heavier than usual on the recently resurfaced R67 from Makhanda to Bathurst, and the improvised parking lot was packed.
The 2024 edition of the Show took place at the Bathurst Showgrounds from March 22 to 24.
Almost the whole day, there were two lines of people waiting to pay entrance fees for their yellow wristbands, but the wait was not long. The staff were friendly and helpful.
The Bathurst Agricultural Show is, as its name implies, primarily an agricultural event and commercial farming matters dominated the affair. There were tractors galore – heavy industrial-sized behemoths, smaller multi-purpose vehicles, the latest machinery on colossal tyres, tractor parades, tractors pulling a kiddies train and a 1928 John Deere General Purpose tractor from the Bathurst Agricultural Museum.
Visitors could offer a donation to a local charity to start the John Deere tractor and hear the awful racket the machine produced. The beast made such a loud noise that tractor drivers from that era must have lost their hearing early on in their careers. The rides were also probably uncomfortably bumpy as tractors at that time did not use rubber tyres and had to rely on heavy, spiked, metal wheels.
Online research showed that tractors of that vintage in average condition fetched more than $78,000 at an auction in the USA, and when fully restored, bids topped $200,000. Not a bad price tag for a noisy, bumpy ride.
Tractors and other farming implements were of great interest to farmers and other people in the agricultural sector, but it seemed that only a small proportion of visitors were there to assess heavy implements.
One smaller piece of equipment certainly grabbed the attention of anyone who regularly faces the tedious task of mowing the lawn. A Swedish exhibitor had an ongoing demonstration of an auto-mower that just kept on mowing as people watched in amazement. It probably reminded the viewer of a Roomba that glides around your house, vacuuming up dust balls, but this piece of robotic technology trims your lawn.
Husqvarna Business Manager Riaan Kromhout described the equipment as a robotic lawnmower that cuts your lawn in an area within a boundary wire. He said, “From the boundary wire, we’ve got a guide wire running all the way back to the docking station, which allows the auto mower to find its way back to the docking station to recharge itself.”
He said the device comes with an app that allows the user to manage the auto-mower remotely from a phone.
A wonderful piece of technology, but the prices mean that most of us will continue using old tech.
Farming implements and new technology are important draw cards to the show, but there was much more to do and see.
Families visited the livestock pens to gape at the enormous cattle, pat the prize pigs and admire the wide range of poultry on show. Professional breeders surely know the difference between a prize bull and a garden variety bull, but for most visitors, it was just fun seeing so many farm animals up close.
There was also an opportunity to witness a livestock auction, which is an exciting event even if you have no intention of buying a goat, a sheep or any other animal. The auctioneer rattles off his rapid-fire patter, mixing up English and Afrikaans, trying to motivate people into spending thousands of rands on a confused purebred with ‘good genes’.
The poor goat does not know it has won first prize in the show-piece judging, nor does it know why it is being manhandled into a tiny cage on a platform while some motor-mouth prattles on at high speed for a few minutes and then slams his hammer onto the table. Afterwards, auction assistants drag the goat off to the other end of the platform and shove him into a holding pen.
What a life? He might have a few very good years on that breeder’s farm.
Horses and their smartly dressed riders usually attract large crowds to show jumping events in the main arena, but this year, the show jumpers were noticeably absent. The Bathurst Show organisers explained on social media, “It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the cancellation of the Horse Show at the Bathurst Agricultural Show this year. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve had to make this difficult decision.”
It appears that the Bathurst Riding Club Committee was obliged to cancel the equestrian events due to suspected cases of African Horse sickness. This infectious disease is often fatal.
The Woody Cape Wildlife auction was an unusual addition to the programme. Held in a secluded section of the showgrounds, the auction attracted high-rollers to see what was on offer. Bidders could not physically see the wild animals, but the beautifully illustrated catalogue was matched by professional slides showing the various animals on the block.
The selection of animals included various species of antelopes, three lots of zebras, three lots of rhinos, two lots of giraffes, many buffalo and some unusual genetic variations that breeders appear to prefer.
Impalas are known as rooibokke, or red buck in Afrikaans, but the auction seemed to have plenty of black impalas up for sale. There were also golden wildebeest, several royal wildebeest, a few white flanked impala, coffee springbok, saddleback blesbok and many buffalo with impeccable heritage showing off their immense horn size as proof of their breeding.
Items mentioned here are only a sampling of the many interesting stalls and exhibits on display at the Bathurst show. There was a colourful flea market section where visitors could find toys, gadgets, clothes and a variety of different foods.
There was a noticeable absence of a funfair that had featured in some previous years, but in its place, there was an array of jumping castles and a special section where people could leave their children under supervision.
At the time of writing, we have not yet received attendance figures, but they are sure to have broken all records. In planning future editions of the show, organisers might want to consider bigger grounds and making more parking space available.
