Doug Meyer  HMFD Executive Director

Doug Meyer has been closely linked with agriculture all his life through connection with the family owned farm and his thirty four year involvement with the Henty Machinery Field Days firstly as the co-operative secretary and as it’s Executive Director. 

In the 1970’s Doug was elected as Secretary for both the United Farmers and Woolgrowers Association and Henty District Council of NSW Farmers Association.  He has represented the interests of farmers and their families in some of the most tumultuous times in Australian agriculture and was instrumental in organising the Henty and Districts, Australian Farmers, march on Canberra in the mid 80’s.  These farmers, feeling the brunt of declining prices and changing principles were seeking better deals and support from the Australian Government.  Doug was rewarded for his efforts with a life membership of the NSW Farmers in the early 1990’s by the State President of the New South Wales Farmers in that era, Mr John Crawford. 

Doug Meyer took up the challenge in 1972 of running the then in recession Henty Machinery Field Days (HMFD).  In 1975 he and the Directors successfully negotiated an offer to take title to a permanent site, and the Henty Machinery Field Days Co-Operative Ltd was constituted as a community advancement society.  To this day Doug, along with eleven other directors and 65 committee members work tirelessly to host one of Australia’s biggest industry events for Agricultural Machinery.  The HMFD has grown from a very small District Machinery event of around 40 Exhibitors to one that now houses up to 800 exhibitors each year and attracts around 50 to 60 thousand people over the three days.  It is an event of strategic national agricultural significance.

Henty Machinery Field Days has become an 10 month of the year seven days a week job for Doug and managing such a mammoth task each year is achieved through experience and dedication.   He believes that training of the "younger" members is very important and plays a hands on role in training staff in the operation and certification of all equipment that is based on the site including large slewing cranes, fork lifts and front end loaders that area owned and operated by HMFD.

Doug likes to look at the big picture when running an event of this magnitude.  He has said many times that the support of a very enthusiastic organisation, and community groups who benefit for the very purpose of the event, and not last of course is the farming public make his job worthwhile and satisfying.  He is proud to say that the community of Henty and surrounds benefit from the HMFD via money earned from food stalls and other activities over the course of the year and especially on the three days in September.  This money flows back though the community supporting schools, churches, charities, youth development, old age care development and community facilities.   He’s a no nonsense hands on manager administrator, and brilliant bush communicator with an authorative view.

Doug Meyer represent’s Henty Machinery Field Days on the Australian Field Days Council, has travelled and visited most of the events across Australia with other Henty Machinery Field Days members and Hamilton in New Zealand.

Doug sees the future for farming to be financially rewarding for those who are willing to put in the hard yards and, at the same time, cope with the subtle impacts of climate change; rising fuel prices and uncertain world commodity markets which will continue to affect the Australian Farmer.

E-mail:-  hmfd@telstra.com
Web:-  www.hmfd.com