Drought recovery advice - get your application in quickly

Poppy Renton and dog Jimmy are desperate for rain on the parched farms of Hawke's Bay. Photos / Supplied

Farmers can access advice to assist their drought recovery planning under a fund recently announced by Government. Funding of up to $5000 (GST exclusive) is available to pay for professional advice around any aspect of business planning associated with drought recovery and planning for future droughts.

But farmers need to get their applications into the Ministry for Primary Industries quickly, as the closing date for applications under the fund is 5pm on Friday, June 12.

To be eligible for this fund:

■ Farms in Tararua District qualify

■ The farming business must have been negatively affected by the 2020 drought

■ At least 50 per cent of the farmer's income, in a normal year, must be earned from the farming business.

Farmers can choose the type of advice they need

The fund can help farmers get a wide range of drought-related business and technical advice and this can be spread over the period to June 2021. The advice can include (but is not limited to):

■ Stock water best practice

■ Feed management systems

■ Strategic planning, including farm business and whole farm plans

■ Land management and sustainable management techniques

■ Analysis of farm systems

■ Risk and recovery management

■ Business continuity

■ Modelling farm systems change scenarios

■ Alternate land-use options

■ Technical advice on soil, pastures, or animal production

■ Financial planning and decision support

■ Farm accounts analysis.

Application to the fund closes at 5pm on Friday, June 12 and is made by completing an application form and emailing it to funding@mpi.govt.nz. The application form is available from the Rural Support Trust or the MPI website https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/40370-2020-drought-recovery-advice-fund-applcation-pdf

Farmers have the option of nominating who they will use for the advice, or they can select from a list of pre-approved suppliers.

The application form is quite simple to complete, requiring applicants to name a preferred supplier of advice, and to outline the nature of advice that they are seeking.

Currently, the fund is limited to a total of $500,000, so applicants need to apply now. Following the closing date, successful applicants will be advised after June 22. If you are successful, MPI will pay for recovery advisory services of up to a maximum of $5000 (GST excluded). Any costs incurred over the approved amount will be at your own expense.

To discuss this, please contact Rural Support Trust, Jane Tylee, 0800 787 254/027 367 3672.