Coles has announced that it will provide $5 million in grants and interest-free loans from its Nurture Fund to help food producers to combat drought. Grants and interest-free loans of up to $500,000 are available as part of the current round of funding for growers who have initiatives to help drought-proof their business in the future.

Applications close at 5pm on Friday 14 September, so make sure you apply today!

Growers don’t have to be experiencing drought conditions currently to be eligible for funding, as this round of grants will aim to help farmers protect themselves against future droughts. While each growing operation is of course different, there are some great examples of drought-proofing or water-saving initiatives which have previously received support from the Coles Nurture Fund, including:

  • Lismore NSW – blueberry growers used an interest-free loan from the Nurture Fund to grow berries under tunnels, which are helping to save water by reducing evaporation and allowing water to be collected for storage via gutters connected to the tunnels
  • Kununurra WA – banana growers used a grant to introduce the latest technologies to meet the challenges of growing fruit in the dry region
  • Ovens Valley VIC – a farming couple received a Nurture Fund grant to install a more efficient irrigation system, enabling them to reduce their water use and grow grass-fed beef all year round
  • Coolac NSW – a beef farmer used a Nurture Fund grant to build facilities to manufacture fodder indoors, making him less dependent on grass and water.
  • Central QLD – a farming family used a Nurture Fund grant to plant a resilient tree legume, leucaena, so they can use it as cattle feed, and in turn be better prepared for drought conditions

If you have a similar initiative to these examples, or even your own plans (which might relate to precision farming, vertical agriculture, satellite mapping, protected cropping or water/fodder conservation), consider applying for this round.

The Nurture Fund is open to all food producers who have a turnover that is less than $25 million per annum and employ no more than 50 full time employees (excluding casual seasonal labour).

Please visit the Coles Nurture Fund website for the Application Form, Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions.

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 11 September 2018. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!