A St George cotton grower is one of the first farmers to use the Farm Business Resilience Program (FBRP) to fund his conversion from siphons to bankless irrigation.
Craig Saunders said when his accountant first showed him the paperwork for the program, he was dubious about taking it on.
“My accountant helped me through the process, and under the program, there was grant funding to cover his fees.”
Craig said on completion of the Farm Business Resilience Plan, he was able to access a government grant of $50,000 for bankless irrigation development to improve his water use efficiency and productivity.
“A bonus of the program was the need to address succession planning. While challenging at the time, it has opened up some crucial conversations inside our business.”
Craig is encouraging all farmers to undertake the Farm Business Resilience Program.
The FBRP is delivered in partnership with QFF members:
- Cotton Australia
- Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland
- Turf Queensland
- Queensland United Egg Producers
- Pork Queensland
Growers/producers who are interested in learning more about the program can visit the Farm Business Resilience webpage here.
The program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Government’s Drought and Climate Adaptation Program.