Building Farm Business Resilience For Challenging Times

  • Minister for Agriculture

Farm businesses are being supported to build their resilience against economic challenges through a range of tools and webinars being offered by the Victorian Government.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes encouraged Victorian farmers to sign up for the webinar series and seek relevant support to ensure their business continuity in the face of challenges.

The series will help participants identify how to safeguard their core business operations when unexpected situations occur.

Although Victorian farmers are no stranger to disruption and volatility – having faced bushfires, floods, drought and dry seasonal conditions – the webinars are particularly timely as many businesses cope with the impact of coronavirus.

They will provide practical measures for farmers to identify how to measure their capacity to continue operating and to recover from any significant challenge through a framework that withstands disruptions, applying examples of continuity principles and sharing expert advice.

The webinars complement the Government’s ongoing drought support, which includes the recently expanded On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant allowing farmers to apply for up to $5,000 for business planning and up to $5,000 for infrastructure investment.

There are also new activities eligible for investment under the grant, including technologies to improve mobile phone connectivity, soil moisture probes and weed control.

The Victorian Government is delivering this support as it understands the critical importance of our agricultural and food sector, which relies on the continued operations of our farms and agribusinesses to keep the supermarket shelves stocked and food on Victorians’ tables.

The Farm Business Resilience webinars are free, however businesses need to register to attend or to receive a link to the recorded event.

As noted by Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes

“We know our farmers are resilient – this series is about facing new challenges to business and being at the forefront of responding to them.”

“I encourage farmers to access these webinars and other support services so they’re best equipped to keep operating through these challenging times – keeping their businesses afloat, and continuing their crucial role in keeping the supply chain going.”

/Public Release. View in full here.