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Thursday 17 April 2025
Drought support for south west farmers
Agriculture Victoria continues to support drought-affected farmers in south west Victoria with an ongoing program of events. Check out the events being delivered as part of the Drought Support Package.
Stay up to date with what’s on at the calendar of events.
Bushfire recovery support
If your business or industry has been impacted by the 2024-25 bushfires in western Victoria, support is available to assist with your immediate and long-term recovery. Upcoming supports include:
- Business Recovery Advisory Service – free business support for impacted businesses, via telephone, online or in-person for impacted businesses, to find the right strategies for long-term recovery.
- Business Bushfire Recovery Grant Program – $5,000 grants to small businesses, including eligible primary producers, that have experienced significant disruptions and revenue losses due to the bushfires.
These programs are jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements for the Western Victoria Bushfires which commenced in December 2024 (AGRN 1166).
Register your interest to receive updates on the 2024-25 Western Victoria Bushfire Recovery grants and other related supports as they become available.
Apply for an On-Farm Drought Infrastructure grant
Eligible drought-affected farmers in the south west can now apply for up to $5,000 in co-contribution grants to support establishing on-farm infrastructure such as:
- water infrastructure upgrades (pipes, tanks, troughs, dams)
- stock containment areas
- grain and fodder storage.
Visit the dry seasons webpage for more information or call 136 186.
Operation DJANGO fighting illegal exotic animal trade
Agriculture Victoria is leading a crackdown on an illegal network trading in exotic pest animals, with the aim of preventing serious biosecurity breaches.
Operation DJANGO is a joint operation between Agriculture Victoria, the Conservation Regulator and Crime Stoppers Victoria.
2025 cereal and pulse disease guides now available
Grain growers keen to review their disease management plans for winter crops this season can refer to Agriculture Victoria’s newly released 2025 disease guides for the latest information.
Drought resilience scholarship opportunity –2025 scholarships now open
The Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub is committed to building capacity that enhances the future resilience of farmers and regional communities. The Vic Hub is offering 5 awards of $2,000 each to support aspiring research students in the delivery of their research.
The awards are open to students conducting research as part of Honours or post-graduate study. Researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.
The Very Fast Break now available
The first 2025 edition of the Very Fast Break seasonal climate update video clip is now available.
What's On
Details about these events and more can be found our website.
Uncertain Times Workshop
2024 was a challenging year on farm in South-West Victoria and 2025 is still uncertain. What do we need to focus on?
When: Wednesday 23 April, 9 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Freshwater Creek Hall, 445 Dickins Road, Freshwater Creek
The workshop will explore:
- Farm Finance - where are we at? Cashflow and budgeting
- Pastures - What has survived? Grazing management, weed management, nutrition and soil condition, pasture pests and diseases, pasture renovation
- Livestock- Where are you at? Planning for the future, rebuilding, breeding, condition scoring, supplementation requirements, fodder stock take, animal health.
Catch up and chill with a meal – Young Dairy Network: Camperdown
When: Monday 28 April, 7 to 9 pm
Where: Hampton Hotel, 228 Manifold Street, Camperdown
Take a well-deserved break and join the Young Dairy Network for a relaxed evening where you can catch up with fellow farmers, enjoy a hearty meal, and share a drink while talking about how things are going on the farm.
Guest speakers:
- Farm consultant, Cath Jenkins, will share practical tips to help get through the drought, manage stress and maintain productivity
- Agronomist Emily Walsh will chat about what your grasses are doing, assessing pasture conditions and what to do to prepare for when the rain comes.
Rural resilience: Keynote by Leila McDougall
When: Friday 2 May, 7:30 to 10 am
Where: Winchelsea Shire Hall, 28 Hesse Street, Winchelsea,
This event is tailored for primary producers in the Surf Coast Hinterland region, aiming to foster resilience and develop strong rural communities.
Followed by:
Small Business coffee and chat drop in session
10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Do you need help understanding your financial position, identifying and applying for grants, negotiating with lenders/creditors, or accessing referrals to professional services, including wellbeing support?
Speak with staff from Rural financial Counselling Service including Small Business and Rural Financial Counsellors. Staff from the Surf Coast Business Concierge team will also be on hand to assist with your small business queries.
Making the tough decisions with Cam Nicolson
When: Friday 2 May, 9:30 am to 2 pm
Where: Boronggook Drysdale Library, 2-8 Wyndham Street, Drysdale
The Surf Coast and Bellarine BestWool/Best Lamb group invite producers to a free workshop with Cam Nicholson, Director of Nicon Rural Services. Cam is a consultant with over 30 years’ experience in farm management and decision making.
The workshop covers:
- Demystifying the decision-making process
- Where do we source the information we base our decisions on?
- How to make the tough decisions on farm: from short term decisions leading into winter to the big long-term decisions.
Weathering the Dry – a farmers’ gathering - Woolsthorpe
When: Friday 9 May, 6:30 to 9:30 pm
Where: Woolsthorpe Union Station Hotel, 23 Manifold Street, Woolsthorpe
Come join us for meal and evening of networking and discussion on drought. Connect with farmers, discuss feed, water and strategies to manage the dry season.
This event will focus on sharing strategies for weathering the challenges of the current dry season. Connect with local farmers, discuss issues and opportunities, and gain valuable insights to help you manage your situation. We will also share with you resources, and other support available. Don't miss out on this opportunity to come together as a community and support each other through this dry season.
This event is part of the Victorian Government’s Drought Support Package for south west Victoria.
Introduction to lean and farm business resilience Planning – Colac and Bellbrae
When: Monday 12 May, 12:30 to 4:30 pm
Where: Colac, venue to be confirmed
When: Tuesday 13 May, 12:30 to 4:30 pm
Where: Bellbrae, venue to be confirmed
Join us for a practical, face-to-face workshop designed to help business owners and senior leaders in south west Victoria navigate the challenges of drought, economic shifts, and industry changes.
What you’ll gain:
- Simple business strategies to improve profitability and resilience
- Lean and continuous improvement insights to streamline operations
- Costing strategies to improve decision-making and resource management
- Networking opportunities with industry professionals
- 12 months of access to an exclusive online portal with workshop resources.
This event is part of the Victorian Government’s Drought Support Package for south west Victoria.
Two-day Young Farmer Business Bootcamp – Hamilton
When: Thursday 15 and Friday 16 May, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: Hamilton Smart Farm, 915 Napier Road, Hamilton
Are you a young farmer looking to upskill? Agriculture Victoria is running a 2 day business bootcamp that aims to support the next generation of farmers, owners and managers to improve their skills and management practices.
The business bootcamp will use farm case study examples, providing participants with the skills to help them manage their farm business now, as well as planning for their business into the future. After the bootcamp, one-on-one follow-up sessions will be available to participants with the presenters.
The 2 day bootcamp will be delivered by Adam and Cath at Rural People Co, covering the following topics:
- leadership on the farm
- the importance of farm business management
- introduction to budgets
- using financial data to support informed decision making
- managing risk during challenging seasons
- buying land, leasing land and share farming.
BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb Network Roadshow
Agriculture Victoria’s BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb network are hitting the road!
The 2025 Beef and Sheep Network Roadshow will bring top industry experts to four locations across Victoria, delivering the latest insights on pastures, livestock, and farm business management.
Wednesday 28 May: Edenhope and District Community Centre
Thursday 29 May: Stirling Place Community Centre, Dunkeld
Contacting Agriculture Victoria
Call 136 186 from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call (except for mobiles and public telephones).
If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service at 133 677 or visit the National Relay Service.
All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us
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