THOUSANDS of people tried to beat the heat at the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo at the weekend.

There was a larger crowd on the Saturday, the middle day of the three-day event, when it was  marginally cooler than the temperature forecast for the other days.

The farming expo, aimed at small-acreage farmers, country dwellers and those who have moved to lifestyle properties, drew tens of thousands of people to  Kings Park at Seymour.

Official crowd figures have yet to be tallied, but organiser Colin Stray said he expected the final number to be about 35,000.

Mr Stray said Saturday was the biggest day of the expo, as people monitored the weather forecast to enjoy a slightly lower temperature of perhaps three or four degrees.  

The crowds dissipated early on Sunday afternoon as the temperature reached the mid-30s, although by that time there were sold stickers on a lot of farm equipment and implements, including a Pasquali walking tractor, sold off the Vin Rowe Machinery stand.  

There was a lot of interest in all-terrain vehicles at the show, with Yea exhibitor, Chisholm & Shaw Automotive, selling a Polaris Ranger side-by-side vehicle off the stand to local property owners.

Kyneton agricultural and machinery supplier L&G Sheppard was represented on the Paul Feeney  booth, which displayed TGB all-terrain vehicles.

Sheppard began  as a TGB dealer earlier this month.

Expo visitor Giulia O'Keefe of Arcadia won the prize in The Weekly Times trail competition, which featured a trailer full of equipment including a Stihl chainsaw, whipper snipper, water troughs, a fire-fighting pump and hoses, a log splitter,  240 volt pressure pump and spraying equipment.

Giulia and her husband Peter live on 5ha at Arcadia, about half way between Nagambie and Shepparton, backing onto the Castle Creek.

As foster parents, they visited the Seymour expo on Saturday with a foster child, who Giulia said was their good luck charm.

She said they ran alpacas, Dorper sheep, Merinos and chickens on the property, which also featured an olive grove, fruit tree orchard and vegetable garden that provides most of their needs.

Giulia said this was the third  time they had attended the Seymour expo and on each occasion they went searching for something to use on the property.

"This year we went looking to research pump covers,'' she said.

"And we are always on the lookout for a small tractor or a log splitter.''

Organiser Colin Stray said the winner was the classic  target market for the  annual expo.