Farming is a business, and drought is one of the many risks farmers face.
Prepare your business
Farm business resilience
Access subsidised training and coaching to help you achieve your farm business and personal goals.
Drought Resilience Self-Assessment Tool
See if you’re ready for dry conditions with this free tool.
Climate Services for Agriculture
Find historical, seasonal and future climate information for your local area with this free tool.
Farm Management Deposit Scheme
Set aside income in good years that you can draw on when you need it.
Farm investment and other loans
Apply for low-cost, low-interest Regional Investment Corporation loans for farm businesses and farm-related small businesses.
Tax deductions
Learn about deductions for fencing, dams, pumps, silos, bins, landcare operations and carbon sink forests.
Income tax averaging
Even out your income and tax payable to allow for fluctuations.
Support in your state or territory
- New South Wales
- Victoria
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Australian Capital Territory
Visit Recovery Connect to find out about other programs and services.
Learn how the Future Drought Fund helps Australian farms and communities prepare for the impacts of drought.
Help in hard times
If you are experiencing hard times (no matter the reason) there are programs available to help you now.
Rural Financial Counsellors
Call 1300 771 741 for free, independent financial counselling for eligible primary producers & related small businesses experiencing or at risk of hardship.
Farm Household Allowance
Check if you’re eligible for up to 4 years of support for farming families experiencing financial hardship.
Drought loans
Apply for low-interest Regional Investment Corporation loans for drought-affected farmers.
Mental health services
Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or find other mental health support.
You don’t have to go it alone
Do you want to know more about:
- diversifying your production
- managing price and input risks
- farm exit and succession plans
- structuring your business in a tax effective way
- accessing rebates and concessions
- expanding your off-farm income
- maintaining soil moisture and ground cover
- new farm practices and technologies
- other financial, social and personal support?
While you will decide what is best for your business, there are many people you can talk to about your options. They include farm industry groups, banks and advisers such as agronomists and accountants, to federal, state and local governments, charities and other non-government organisations.
Find out who can help and how
Video: Everyone has a role to play
Introduction
This is the accessible text transcript of a video for farmers and their families on who can help and how when it comes to drought.
Transcript
[Video begins]
[1 min 10 sec]: [Video description: animated text, icons and graphics with background music.]
[Audio]: Farming is a business, and drought is one of the many risks farmers face.
There’s no one right way of preparing for, managing through and recovering from drought. But there are a range of people and organisations worth talking to about your options before you make decisions.
You can talk to your bank about things like farm management deposit accounts or lending options.
You can turn to other professionals too. Agronomists can work with you to boost production, and accountants can advise on ways to diversify income or limit losses.
Your local, state and federal governments can also help. Some offer farm business planning, research and climate tools, tax deductions or rebates for dams, silos and fencing.
You may be eligible for income support, loans, financial counselling and mental health services.
Your farm industry group can show you what other farmers are doing, and you can connect with your community though local organisations.
Everyone has a role to play. So visit the Recovery Connect website to find out who can help and how.
Other case studies
- NSW farming families’ use of Farm Business Resilience Planning
- VIC farmer’s use of Farm Household Allowance
- Tasmanian farmer’s use of Regional Investment Corporation drought loan
- WA farmer case studies in regenerative agriculture
- QLD grazier case studies of adaptation to drought
- Future Drought Fund case study of drought resilience.
Media releases
Stay informed. Check the latest media releases for updates on drought support.