With just two weeks until the celebrations begin, the countdown is on for Queensland’s premier field day marking the 50th Years of Elders FarmFest with the return of our longest-running exhibitors, new feature shows and the unveiling of a brand new technology alley at Toowoomba, June 3-5.

As bush legend Slim Dusty once sang, “Looking forward, looking back, we’ve come a long way down the track”, this year’s event will recognise humble beginnings in 1975 that have seen FarmFest grow year upon year to be one of the most successful field days on Australia’s farming calendar.

Back in those early years, FarmFest was held at the same time as the famous Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers in September, but changed to the June date in the mid '90s. The idea was born from what was known as the Queensland Farmer's Festival, which was held at Coolabah, the property of Mr D.A. Loveday at Biddeston, about 20 kilometres from the Toowoomba post office.

Fast forward to 2025, and the future of FarmFest is stronger than ever to include The Brahman Feature Show where the bulls will be the highlight of the cattle program, with judging to commence on Wednesday June 4.

Organised by The Australian Brahman’s Breeding Association, committee member David Harch said it was fitting the breed will headline Elders FarmFest, famous for their resilience and strength in tough conditions.

"We always have a core group of breeders who exhibit at FarmFest and the society has a site each year which is well supported but it's the first time that Brahmans have held a feature show at FarmFest for more than 20 years," Mr Harch said.

It’s anticipated more than 100 entries will compete in various Brahman classes with a top prize a Leicht's CIA cattle crush, valued at $11,300, donated for the Supreme Exhibit up for grabs.

Continual improvements across the sector will also be highlighted at Elders FarmFest’s new Grain Automate Alley being unveiled by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Grain Automate, is a five-year initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of machine automation, autonomy, and digital intelligence technologies in the Australian grains sector.

Big names in the industry such as Syngenta and CSIRO will be displaying their latest tech and research, with the global market for autonomy and intelligent systems projected to reach $272 billion by 2027, Grain Automate is designed to position Australian grain growers at the forefront of agricultural automation.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is committed to equipping Australian grain growers with the knowledge, skills, data, infrastructure and governance frameworks necessary to adopt autonomous field-based machinery with confidence and success.

The Society of Precision Agriculture Australia (SPAA) is already driving this transformation through a national program of extension activities focused on grower education, evaluation, peer learning and industry collaboration.

“Elders FarmFest is the ideal platform to showcase Grain Automate,” said SPAA Executive Officer Angelique McAvoy. “For decades, this event has been recognised as a place to connect, innovate and discover what farmers need to produce the world’s best food and fibre - including the latest technology to help them do it. It’s where growers come to explore the future of agriculture, and automation is a big part of that future,” Ms McAvoy added.

Attracting more than 2,000 companies and more than 40,000 attendees anticipated, it’s the exhibitors and visitors who come back every year that shows the loyalty to this proudly Queensland event. A prime example is Webster Silos, which is owned by Ahrens, one of several exhibitors who attended the very early FarmFests at the original site and have welcomed visitors ever since.

Discounted tickets are still available online at www.farmfest.com.au saving an extra $5 off the full door price and also securing an entry to win an awesome lucky door prize – a Kubota Z200 42-inch zero-turn mower valued at $10K courtesy of Black Truck and Ag.

To navigate your way through everything on offer, a new “Map Your Show” planner will allow visitors to earmark exhibitors, demonstrations, offers and have all the information they need in one place so they can plan ahead of the event, refer to it during the event and use it even after the event to share the information with colleagues, family and friends.

Everything You Need to Know About FarmFest – Click Here! - farmfest.com.au