Lions / Need For Feed / IGA

What we do

Rural Financial Counselling Services are:

Free, independent and confidential
Staffed by qualified and experienced Rural Financial Counsellors (RFCs) who understand farming and business – our RFCs are required to have a Diploma of Financial Counselling as minimum qualification, and have years of experience in assisting farming businesses
For primary producers of livestock, milk, honey, fruit, crops, wool, meat, vegetables, eggs, fish, plants, trees and logs
For small businesses who mainly support primary production such as: fencing, shearing sheep, controlling weeds or agricultural pests, managing stock, planting crops etc.
Able to assist farm or small agribusinesses experiencing or at risk of financial hardship
Able to come to your place of business or you can come and see us.

Assistance when

Rural Financial Counselling Services can assist businesses affected by:

Drought/water issues
Low commodity prices
Natural disasters
Structural adjustment
Industry downturns
Low equity/tight cash flow
Difficulties with lenders or access to finance
Unpaid creditors/debtors
Market disruptions
Changes in personal circumstances
Farm accidents or illness
Share farming/succession agreements/ contracts.

How can we help you

Rural Financial Counselling Services can help you:

Understand your financial position and the viability of your enterprise
Identify options to improve your financial position
Develop a plan to implement your chosen options, and implement that plan
Provide information, referrals, and support to access, government or industry grants and programs
Assist you to deal (whether through meetings or otherwise) with lending institutions in relation to:
- Applications and contracts with those institutions; and
- Processes relating to farm debt mediation
Assist you to identify the need for advice from professional service providers, and provide support with preparation for meetings with professional service providers.

News

NE Regional Soil Health Conference

NECMA conference

North East Regional Soil Health Conference - 14 May 2021 at Beechworth is for ALL land managers, agriculture industry groups and soil health service providers in North East Victoria.
Read more ...

Farm Finance getting prepared 2021 Webinar

Farm Finance

The team at the Young Farmer Business Network have put together a series of sessions designed to build skills in financial planning and business resilience for your farm business.
Read more ...

Details: Published: 20 December 2016; Last Updated: 30 January 2017

Lions Need For Feed combined with IGA deliver the Dairy Farmers Support Program.

AgBiz Assist is proud to be distributing the Need for Feed / IGA food vouchers to deserving clients throughout the region who are suffering as a result of climate and milk price challenges.

"...In the nearly 10 years since Need for Feed was started by the Lions Club it has operated all over Victoria, raising funds and delivering fodder for Fire, Flood and Drought relief.

Over the time most of the fodder distributed has come from farmers with a significant quantity donated by dairy farmers from Gippsland.

In December 2016 with the dairy farmers milk crisis affecting many who had been so generous to others we wanted to find a way to give back.

We entered into an arrangement with Michaels IGA stores in South Gippsland, to jointly fund food shopping vouchers to be distributed through the Rural Financial Counselling Service to farmers seekig help.

This arrangement was extended to the Goulurn Valley with the help of Fairleys IGA and the local Lions Clubs.

IGA Victoria liked the idea so much they upped the sponsorship to $100,000 to take the joint Lions / Need for Feed / IGA Dairy Farmer Support Program to all of Victoria.

With the support of Lions Clubs across Victoria $100,000 in additional funds have been raised to distribute in this way making the grand total to date of $200,000 all to make a difference to our struggling farmers ..."