Up to $5,000 is available from Pasture Recovery and Management Grant to help drought affected farm businesses with the costs of pasture restoration.
Pasture Recovery and Management Grant Program
Pasture Recovery and Management Grant Program provides drought affected farmers in East Gippsland or Wellington Shires with funding to help them with the recovery of their pasture and other land managment practices.
Background
The Victorian Government has established the Pasture Recovery and Management Grant Program for farm businesses to implement approaches to assist in the recovery and restoration of severely impacted non-irrigated pastures due to extended drought conditions.
The program will assist farmers undertake pasture recovery and restoration activities to:
- Help manage the farm property in the current drought conditions
- Support the long-term viability of the farm
- Minimise further damage to pasture and soil
- Help prevent soil and nutrient losses and environmental impacts
- Re-establish or improve on-farm feed supply.
Funding
A grant of up to $5,000 (ex-GST) per farm business is available to assist eligible farm businesses implement pasture restoration and other land management activities that may aid in pasture recovery. Eligible farm businesses are required to provide at least dollar for dollar matching funding co-contribution.
Eligible Projects
Eligible activities include:
- Pasture restoration (e.g. associated seed and fertilizer costs)
- Establishment of ground cover (e.g. fodder crops) as a remedial action before pastures can be established
- Planting of shelter belts for wind breaks and associated fencing for protecting existing and new pasture
- Desilting works of existing stock and domestic dams, where you can demonstrate that contamination has occurred as a result of wind erosion and where works include measures to prevent future occurrences
- Items to construct a new or upgrade an existing Stock Containment Area (SCA) – such as fencing, gates, troughs, piping, tanks, pumps and
livestock feeders - Mechanical seeding (e.g. hire or purchase of seeding machines, roller)
- Soil testing
- Professional advice to undertake a pasture restoration plan
- Costs associated with professional services and contractors used for pasture restoration works (e.g. cultivation and resowing, direct drilling,
smudging or heavy harrowing, rolling, etc.).
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible, you must:
- own, share or lease a farm business located in East Gippsland or Wellington Shires
- be registered as a primary producer with the Australian Taxation Office
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for GST
- have a right or interest in the land for the purpose of primary production
- contribute more than 51% of your labour to the farm enterprise
- derive 51% of gross annual income from the farm business or made a minimum farm related capital investment of $50,000 (excluding land purchase) in the farm business
Timing
Applications close 30 June 2019.
