The Historical Geographies of Showing Livestock: a Case Study of the Perth Royal Show, Western Australia

Abstract

This paper examines changes in the entries of livestock to competitions at the Perth Royal Show in the course of the twentieth century. It identifies trends in the showing of animals at the Show and explains these with reference to the wider geographies of state and national agricultural change in Western Australia (WA). In doing so, it provides a longitudinal perspective on the socioeconomic contexts of farming in WA and identifies some of the key cultural and economic drivers that have influenced livestock farming in that locality. In turn, these findings contribute to wider understandings of the global countryside and of the imagined ruralities that exist within and beyond the spaces of showgrounds.

Placing Livestock in Landscape Studies: Pastures New or Out to Graze?

“…A further study of Welsh livestock (Yarwood & Evans, 2003 allowed the scope of these investigations to be extended to non-rare, mainstream breeds. Again, it noted that economically viable breeds were diffused across national and international farming landscapes Yarwood et al, 2010), while breeds with strong local identities were often clustered in particular localities (Yarwood & Evans, 2006). Further work has pointed to noticeable differences in the distribution of cattle within counties of broadly similar economic and environmental conditions ( Figure 1) (Yarwood & Absalom, 2006), underlining the continuing importance of local farming cultures and traditions in determining the distribution of livestock on landscape.…”

Getting a Sense of Agriculture: Visitor Experiences from an Agricultural Fair

“…By analysing the changes in the entries of livestock to competitions at the Perth Royal Show, Yarwood et al . () demonstrates how a seemingly local agricultural event is heavily influenced by global structures. It is an event that is continually and simultaneously shaped by both local and national structures but is ultimately also dependent on, and is part of, the ‘global countryside’ whose demands and possibilities are continually reflected and incorporated in the showgrounds: ‘Show‐bags containing branded sweets, gifts and toys are sold by commercial, often global, companies and have become a significant part of the show's tradition, especially with younger visitors’ (Yarwood et al .…”

“…Within academic literature, agricultural fairs are often portrayed as popular and socially important events that can contribute to wider understandings of agriculture and rurality to an increasing urban visitor base (Kniffen ; Yarwood et al . ; Kokko ). Agricultural fairs are used as promotional events for various (agricultural) organisations and businesses as part of larger efforts to ‘re‐imagine’ agriculture (Anderson ; Holloway ; Edensor in Cloke et al .…”

“…These differences could, at least partly, be explained by different methodological approaches, as this article focuses on the visitors rather than the organisers (Marsden ), exhibitioners (Holloway ) or meta‐historical descriptions (Edwards ; Anderson ; Yarwood et al . ; Kokko ).…”

Human–animal relations and the celebration of place‐identity: A case study of the Scone Racing Carnival, New South Wales

“…As Wolch (2002, 729) argues, 'animals are critical to the making of places and landscapes'. Livestock animals also contribute to farming practices, and are key actors in the shaping of the rural experience and in the construction of a distinctive rural place (Yarwood and Evans, 2006;Yarwood et al, 2010). For a comprehensive overview of the work undertaken in animal geography, please refer to the recent work by Buller (2014).…”