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Government Grants for farmers & how to apply

Farming Grants in Australia and how to apply

The changes that are taking place in Australia right now are so fast-paced and so unpredictable it is hard to keep up. Whether it is drought killing off our livestock, or floods wreaking catastrophic havoc, or global health crises and the changes to logistics that result, you – the farmers – are doing it tough. And yet, that’s part of being an Aussie farmer. Sticking it out through hardship and adversity are in your blood. You know how to handle the good days and how to prepare for the bad days, always knowing that nothing is certain, and you’re only as good as your last harvest.

The Australian Government supports Aussie Farmers and there are a range of government grants available for farmers in Australia who are struggling. It can be hard to know what agriculture and/or farming grants are available to you and where to apply, so we’ve put together a list of farming and agriculture grants in Australia.

We hope that this list of Government grants for farmers in Australia might bring some opportunity to you in your time of need.

Australian farming grants and Agricultural grants 2024

The Australian Government and state governments offer financial assistance for agricultural businesses, across business improvement, reef catchments, science and innovation, and drought and disaster recovery categories. There are state-based, and national grants and assistance opportunities for farmers, farming and agricultural businesses.

These are the Government grants for farmers in Australia, as of October 2024.

Australian Government (national) national agriculture and farming grants

  • Grants, assistance and tenders for new initiatives, or to improve exports and productivity. Up-to-date information on these initiatives can be viewed on the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website, in the Assistance, grants and tenders page.
  • The Export Market Development Grant is an exporting grant, for current and aspiring exporters in Australia. More information can be found on the Australian Government website, on the Export Market Development Grant page.
  • Farm investment loans are available for farm businesses in Australia. More information can be found on the Farm Investment Loans page on the Business.gov website.
  • Pest and weed management grants offer funding to assist a group of landholders to work together to manage pests or weeds. More information can be found on the Australian Government’s Agriculture website, on the pests diseases and weeds community support page.

Queensland Government farming and agriculture grants

The Queensland Government’s grants for business improvement of businesses in the agricultural sector include:

  • Rural Economic Development (RED) grants for rural communities in Queensland; co-contribution grants to help support rural communities and strengthen primary producers and the primary production sectors. More information can be found on the Rural Economic Development Grant (RED grants) page on the Queensland Government’s QRIDA website.
  • Grants to improve or establish primary production enterprises (QRIDA grants and loans). See the Queensland Government’s QRIDA website for more information.
  • Horticultural Netting Grants offer co-contribution grants to help commercial horticultural crops primary producers in Queensland afford the costs of buying and setting up horticultural netting. More information can be found on the Horticultural Netting Program page of the Queensland Government QRIDA website.
  • The Queensland Government’s Reef Credit Scheme for reef catchments allows agricultural businesses to earn income by reducing sediment run-off and nutrient run-off. Information on this scheme, potential earnings and how to qualify can be found on the Reef Credit Scheme page on the Queensland Government website.
  • Climate change/carbon farming projects could benefit from the Queensland Government’s Land Restoration Fund. More information can be found on the Queensland Government Land Restoration Fund page.
  • For new agricultural ideas and projects, the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland programs and funds are a great opportunity to apply for. They allow financial support, provide opportunities for new business, and offer management support. More information can be found on the Advance Queensland website.
  • Drought grants and funding offered by the Queensland Government helps farmers to both prepare for drought and manage the effects of drought. More information can be found on the Drought grants page on the Queensland Government’s Queensland Businesses website.
  • Natural disaster support funding offered by the Queensland Government helps farmers to recover from high rainfall and flooding events in Queensland. More information can be found on the Natural Disaster Support page of the Queensland Government’s Queensland Businesses website.
  • The Queensland Smart Farms initiative allows producers, supply chain businesses and AgTech providers to trial technology, test and adopt and develop smart farms. More information can be found on the Business.Gov page write up on Queensland Smart Farms.
  • Farm management grants for succession planning and access to professional advice. More information on this financial assistance for the cost of accessing the advice you need can be found on the Queensland Government’s QRIDA website.

Farming and agricultural grants in other states and territories

  • In Tasmania, the Carbon Farming Advice Rebate TAS program provides rebates to allow Tasmanian farmers to get advice on carbon farming. More information can be found on the Carbon Farming Advice TAS project page on the Business.qld website.
  • There are many other opportunities for grants, funding and other initiatives offered by the Australian Government and State Governments. This list updates all the time, but you can search by specific state, or category on the Australian Governments’ Business.gov website, Grants and programs finder page.

Other grants for farmers and agricultural businesses in Australia and the sector overall

In addition to the Government farming grants and initiatives, there are other non-government grants available to farmers and agriculture businesses in Australia. These include:

  • Agrifood waste incentive: dollar-for-dollar assistance that allows agriculture businesses to research solutions to improve agrifood waste management. This incentive is offered by SME Solutions Centre, under their Fight Food Waste incentive. More information can be found on the SME Solutions Centre website, on the Fight Food Waste information page.
  • For infrastructure facility projects, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) offers concessional loans for infrastructure projects in the Australian Indian Ocean Territories and in northern Australia. NAIF is a financier for the Commonwealth Government of Australia. Information about these infrastructure loans can be found on the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) Australian Government website.
  • Carbon Farmers of Australia offers an opportunity to earn Carbon Credits, for farmers. More information on this opportunity can be found on the Carbon Farmers Australia website. There is also a Land Restoration Fund available for carbon farming in Queensland, with more information available on the Queensland Government Land Restoration Fund page.
  • For Australian Banana farmers, on-farm improvements grants are offered by a program called the Banana Best Management Practice program. More information can be found on the Australian Banana Growers website.
  • For women in agriculture and farming in Australian rural communities, the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award offers professional development opportunities and a bursary for women in rural communities with success in innovation in agriculture and farming. More information can be found on the AgriFutures website.
  • For industry research for new technologies, services and products in Northern Australia, the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) has committed to invest $75 million of Australian Commonwealth funds over a decade for industry-led research. More information can be found and expressions of interest can be lodged on the CRCNA website.

Other Government financial support for farmers in Australia

Farm Household Allowance for farmers experiencing hardship

If you are experiencing hardship and are a farmer who is an Australian citizen, you may be eligible to apply for the farm household allowance. You need to contribute a significant part of your labour and capital to your farm business, and you must be prepared to enter into a financial improvement agreement.

You can access a fortnightly payment for a period of up to four years – and the payment you get will depend on your situation. The payment is available to eligible farmers and their partners. As part of the farm household allowance you can also get:

  • A health care card
  • Funding to help you develop skills
  • A financial assessment of your farm business
  • Allowances to help with things like rent, your phone and medicine

You can find out more about the Farm Household Allowance program, on the Australian Government’s Business.gov website, on the Farm Household Allowance Program page.

Wellbeing support

Often, mental health is an issue for farmers who are doing it tough but who still have to maintain a stiff upper lip for their family. Everyone knows the harsh and devastating impact that unmanaged mental health issues can have in our community. We know that you are doing it tough and that you are at the mercy of our climate, the weather, and the seasons. To help out, the Australian Government has got free support services for:

  • Family support
  • Counselling support
  • Advice and referrals
  • Community mental health events

You do not have to hide your mental health struggles and you should reach out for support when you need it. Your family and your community need you, and the resources are there – call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for immediate help, otherwise call the Farmer Assistance Hotline on 13 23 16 Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm.

We hope you have found this helpful. EZ Machinery cares about the future of farming in Australia and we are 100% committed to developing and creating quality machinery that assists you, the farmers, to achieve maximum value in your primary production business.

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