Farm Business Resilience Program
eastAUSmilk has been assisting our members in creating ‘Farm Business Resilience plans’ and applying for the subsequent Drought Preparedness grant which offers up to $50 000, or 25%, towards new permanent infrastructure to help improve drought resilience. Some of the recently approved projects include drilling bores, installing tanks, troughs, and irrigation, as well as feed storage such as haysheds, silage pits and commodity sheds.
The Farm Business Resilience Program has been on offer since 2022 and has seen a considerable uptake of farmers applying for the drought preparedness grant. While 25% does not seem to go far towards something like a centre pivot irrigator, which will currently set you back the most part of $200 000, it is of great benefit to anyone already planning to implement an eligible project. eastAUSmilk’s goal within this program is to limit the amount of paperwork that our members need to complete by themselves and assist with the applications as much as required to ensure as many of our members as possible have access to this funding. This will hopefully help complete their desired projects and at the same time provide an outline of the risks and opportunities of their individual businesses.
The program has thus far been very well received, with a good percentage of our members utilizing the grant as an incentive for completing a resilience plan for their farm. eastAUSmilk aims to complete another 12 or more plans before the end of the program, however, which will require even more member engagement. We are on track to achieve this though, and I personally look forward to engaging with our members and helping them become better prepared to face future challenges to their business.
The Drought Preparedness grant is set to end in June 2024, so anyone still planning to apply should do so soon to allow time for projects to be completed by the deadline. Applications must be approved before any project can be commenced and this includes paying for materials or equipment, however, applicants are able to pay a deposit if necessary.
By Letisha Johnson, eastAUSmilk project officer