ALMOST 2500 chicks were hatched, 51,000 scones made, 12,600 waffles on a stick consumed and Murray Wilkinson whistled to his working dogs in the main arena 1400 times.
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These are some of the quirkier numbers behind the Sydney Royal Easter Show of 2017, after the event wrapped up for another year on Wednesday.
Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of NSW president, Robert Ryan OAM, said the largest crowd in more than a decade – more than 914,000 people – showed that interest in the origins of our food and fibre had never been stronger.
“The show exists to help the wider community understand and value sustainable Australian agriculture and award-quality produce,” Mr Ryan said.
“While the show obviously has to have activities and displays that appeal to a wide and diverse demographic, we never lose sight of the need to continually promote agricultural excellence in NSW.”
A new attraction, Little Hands on The Land, allowed youngsters to experience Australian agriculture by picking apples, collecting eggs, milking cows and digging up vegetables.
Almost 30,000 ‘junior farmers’ took part during the 14 days of the show.
The best of the livestock breeds, wine, food, dairy, horticulture and art made for a total of 19,000-plus awards, he said.
“The premium agriculture on display here has also been a tour stop for international delegations, with representatives from China, USA, New Zealand, Indonesia and Brunei visiting the show to connect with the Australian beef and dairy industries, goat and horse breeders, and food and wine traders,” Mr Ryan said.
The show’s host, the RAS of NSW, is a not-for-profit organisation.
Revenue from this and other events allows it to invest nearly $7 million into agricultural programs, competitions, education and youth initiatives, grants and scholarships.
Other figures from the 14-day event:
- About 1.5 million showbags sold;
- More than 10,000 deep-fried lasagne on a stick (new to 2017) sold;
- 140,000 cheese toasties sold;
- Show rides enjoyed more than 1.6 million times;
- Five tonnes of fireworks used during night time entertainment;
- The working dairy produced 35,000 litres of milk;
- Wool valued at more than $11 million sold in onsite auctions.