Newdegate Machinery Field Days: Farmers’ Challenge founder Tim Walter on 30 years in Newdegate

Newdegate Machinery Field Days Farmers’ Challenge founder Tim Walter is marking 30 years of farming in Newdegate’s tight-knit community after making the move from Bridgetown.

Mr Walter is a broad-acre cropper that additionally farms sheep and cattle on his property in Newdegate, and is a father of three boys.

He was inspired to create a challenge that was a rendition of other field days in WA, such as the Dowerin Machinery Field Days, Wagin Woolorama, and Mingenew Midwest Expo, after seeing their success with the event.

“We thought we would just set up a series of events where it’s sort of a physical challenge and is a race against the clock,” Mr Walter said.

“I know that all the other field days were running the farmers competitions, and I just thought it would be a great even to kick of here.

“It’s gone really well, it’s been well supported.

“And there’s always good prize money to encourage people to go in the competition.

“I’ve just been involved and it’s an event we the community run every year, so I just come and give them a hand.”

Mr Walter and his family moved from Bridgetown to Newdegate 30 years ago after a visit to a friends farm, and seeing the area as an opportunity the family made the move to the Wheatbelt town, planting roots and setting up their new farm.

“It’s been a great move for us,” he said.

“We’ve brought all our family up here, and it’s been a great little community for us.”

He said since moving to the Wheatbelt community three decades ago, he and his family have been welcomed and made to feel at home.

“Everyone seems to help everyone else out, if there’s ever any trouble the community is always very happy to help each other out,” he said.

“Sports days are always good fun — it’s a great little community, and there’s a really great sense of belonging.”

Mr Walter first began volunteering with the Newdegate Machinery Field Days when he moved to community, starting out by helping the committee before eventually become site manager, and now Farmers’ Challenge organiser.

Along with the inspiration to start a farmers’ challenge came the opportunity to move away from the role of site manager for Mr Walter.

He designs each course as a fun challenge for participants, changing it up each year for participants and to provide a bit of spectator entertainment.

“I’ve been doing that for a long time and I sort of always thought that the farmers challenges would be a good, fun thing to do on the day,” he said.

“Things a bit of fun on the day, but it’s a very good spectator sport.

“We try and run it as a fast and furious type of challenge, it’s probably a good entertaining sport event to watch for spectators.”

Between eight and 16 teams on average get involved in the challenge, with four events running simultaneously.

Mr Walter said the Newdegate Machinery Field Days were a great event not only for the town but for the Great Southern as people from across WA regions travel for the annual event.

“It’s a great highlight for the town, and it’s good for the Great Southern for everyone to come and show their troughing machinery,” he said.

“People come as far as Esperance for the show — it draws a big crowd.”

2025 marks the third year the event has run after Mr Walter cemented the challenge in the field day program in 2023, which he said has been “well supported” by the community.

This year’s Newdegate Machinery Field Days will be held September 3 and 4.