What began as a small seed of an idea patronised by 7000 people in 1984 has grown into a major event on the state’s rural calendar and is expected to attract about 30,000 to the grounds of Tocal College on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Tocal Field Days manager Wendy Franklin said all those involved were proud of the milestone, which was testament to the way the event had evolved throughout its history.

“I don’t think there are a lot of events that last 30 years; I think that’s an achievement in itself,” she said. “There are eight exhibitors who have been there every year from the start and I think that’s because we’ve always remained true to the core agricultural themes.

“But farming is something that is constantly developing and as a result a field day has to develop with that.”

A variety of dairy-themed exhibitions are sure to whip up plenty of interest from attendees, including a taste-testing tent to probe participants’ abilities to identify various dairy products.

A presentation on how to plant and manage different pastures for livestock, as well as a cheese-making workshop will help take the theme “from the cow to the consumer”, according to Ms Franklin.

Dairy products will also feature as the key ingredients in the popular Bake or Burn cooking competition, with vacancies still available in the school-aged section, as well as the division for younger children.

Don’t miss the Friday edition of the  Mercury for more information about what’s on at the 2013 Tocal Field Days.