The Victorian Government will provide new young farmers with a $10,000 First Farm Grant to help young farmers get on the land and kick start new agri-businesses across regional and rural Victoria.
The Premier John Brumby today announced that the Government would provide grants of up to $3000 for first-time farmers to access business advice and on-farm planning and up to $7000 as a start-up contribution towards the delivery of their farm business plans.
Mr Brumby also announced that a new leadership program for young agribusiness professionals in which the Government will provide the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) with $200,000 to help develop the next generation of leaders within the agriculture sector.
“We are making the right investments to lock-in a prosperous future for regional and rural Victoria,” Mr Brumby said.
“When I became Premier I said I wanted to support Victorian farmers to be more productive, sustainable and competitive in the face of challenges such as drought, climate change and an increasingly competitive global market.
“The next generation of farmers are the future of farming in Victoria. These new schemes are about backing our new young farmers to take-up the very important task of driving future agriculture production and prosperity in our state.
“It is about providing the right incentives to our young farmers to take-on their family farm, for new farmers purchasing a farm to get the advice they need to be productive and successful and enticing our young people to consider a career on the land.”
Regional and Rural Development Minister Jacinta Allan said that as part of the $200,000 Young Agribusiness Professionals scheme, the VFF would develop forums for young farmers to use networking and information sharing to improve their own productivity.
“The initiative will also provide mentoring for farmers, rural employees, agribusiness service providers and the agribusiness sector to support them as they drive Victoria’s farming future,” Ms Allan said.
“Over the past 18 months we’ve been working with local communities across Victoria about their vision for their futures and later this month we will unveil our blueprint for regional Victoria which will outline new investment to continue driving prosperity in our regions.”
Agriculture Minister Joe Helper said the First Farm Grant built on the unprecedented support the Brumby Government had provided to support Victorian farmers including:
More than $400 million in drought assistance and initiatives, including more than $150 million in water rate rebates for irrigators, more than $30 million in direct grants to improve on-farm productivity and $24 million in Municipal Rate Subsidies;
- The $205 million Future Farming Strategy which is driving productivity, competitiveness and sustainability in the farming sector including through investments in precision farming through GPS technology, improving feed efficiency in the dairy industry and establishing a new National Centre for Farmer Health in Hamilton;
- Building the new $230 million Agribio research centre at Bundoora which will attract the world’s leading scientists who will use cutting-edge research to fight disease and reduce the environmental impact to protect Victoria’s agricultural sector;
- A record investment of more than $350 million to repair and restore Victoria’s rail freight infrastructure which was sold-off and left to disrepair under the Kennett Government including investment in the Mildura Rail Freight line, north-east rail corridor to Wodonga and ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ rail lines identified by Tim Fischer AC in his independent review;
- Generational investment in Victoria’s Food Bowl region through a $2 billion Commonwealth and Victorian program of works to modernise and upgrade ageing irrigation infrastructure in northern Victoria; and
- A $266 million investment in the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline to end water supply uncertainty for the Wimmera and lock-in the future prosperity of agriculture in that region for generations to come.
The Victorian Government will provide $2 million over two years for the First Farm Grants.
The grant of up to $3000 will go towards providing young farmers with business advice and planning advice by a qualified agronomist. Farmers can access up to a further $7000 to assist in purchasing equipment, machinery, or building costs that have been recommended in that plan.
To be eligible for the First Farm Grants farmers will need to be under the age of 40 years and have purchased or leased farm land and recognised as primary producers.
Mr Helper said the First Farm Grants was further proof of the Victorian Government’s commitment to driving a prosperous future for Victorian agriculture.
“Victoria’s agricultural sector produces goods worth around $9 billion every year, more than one-quarter of the national total,” he said.
“These First Farm Grants build on the Government’s record level of support to Victorian farmers and this investment and provides support to the next generation of farmers.
“Farmers have done it tough for the past decade, dealing with unprecedented drought conditions, but through this drought they have shown resilience and a commitment to address the challenges of the future.
“The First Farm Buyer Grants are another step in helping address those challenges.”
The delivery of the First Farm Grants will be administered through the Rural Finance Corporation (RFC) and first farm buyers who have accessed first home buyer grants or subsidised loans through RFC will still remain eligible for the new grants.
The introduction of the $10,000 First Farm Grant comes in addition to the Regional First Home Owner Bonus, which was boosted in this year’s State Budget to $26,500 for first home buyers who build a newly constructed home in regional Victoria.
This brings potential Government assistance to young farmers who purchase and build their first farm to more than $36,000.
Further details on the grants will be available at www.ruralfinance.com.au later this month.