eastAUSmilk Board and Staff visit FNQ

On the 5th of February, the eastAUSmilk board and staff travelled to Far North Queensland to visit our members in Malanda, Milla Milla and Atherton as part of the semi-annual face-to-face board meeting. We spent the week visiting a number of farms and engaging with members, including several dinners with excellent turnouts.

Due to the recent impacts of cyclone Jasper, eastAUSmilk staff were also able to assist with applications for the disaster recovery grant, which can be used to help rebuild damaged roads, laneways and fences, as well as clean up and replace machinery. We were also able to assist with more resilience plans for Drought Preparedness Grant applications.

In total, the majority of the board visited 8 farms, discussing the diversity and challenges of dairy farming on the Tablelands, which differ significantly from other areas. All of the farms have a unique way to combat their challenges, and it has been most interesting to see the methods behind each. While it is a high rainfall area, the soil does not readily hold moisture, and this also brings its own challenges such as maintaining accessible laneways and additional care being required by the cows themselves.

While we unfortunately couldn’t visit everyone, it was fantastic to catch up with most of our members over the four dinners we had during the week. These were spread between regions to be convenient for each region. With an average of 40 in attendance at the first three dinners, representing the majority of eastAUSmilk members, there was some great discussions on a wide range of topics.

We appreciate the hospitality of all our FNQ members for making the week such a great success and hope to be able to return soon.

By Letisha Johnson, eastAUSmilk Project Officer

Farm Business Resilience

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 to Queensland farmers 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.

Our contract for this project is set to run out at the end of June this year, however the grant will continue to be available as long as there is funding behind it. We have continued to have good uptake of the project with 18 farms involved between July and November 2023, and 7 to date since then. Not all of these farms have applied for the drought preparedness grant, but have completed resilience plans which can assist in providing an overview of the business as well as being a step ahead for any future grant applications through QRIDA, as the majority of grants will require a resilience plan on application.

Now is a great time to think about completing a farm business resilience plan, whether you are interested in applying for the drought preparedness grant or not, there are plenty of other benefits to having one on hand. Drought Preparedness 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

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