Bounce back with a farm business resilience plan

For farming and agribusinesses, one of the few certainties is uncertainty. One of the biggest uncertainties we face is the weather. And while technology might have improved forecasting, it still hasn’t worked out a way for us to change or control the weather. It’s one reason you need a farm business resilience plan.

Building resilience and implementing disaster preparedness measures are important. But apart from that, we need to play the hand we’re dealt. Drought, floods, fire and pests are all recurring challenges for Australia’s farming community.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom.

In this blog, I’m sharing some insights and resources to help you plan and implement an effective recovery from a disaster.

Understanding the impact of disaster

Drought, flood, fire or pests can have a massive impact on farming operations. While the financial and environmental impact might be obvious, it’s also important to consider the social and emotional impact for you, your employees, and the broader community.

Improving your resilience, focusing on adapting and having a solid plan in place, ensures you recover quickly. It will also minimise the negative impact on your operations and long-term financial stability.

Creating a farm business resilience plan

While the situation of every farm and agribusiness is different, there are a few key principles that apply to everyone. These will provide a framework to help you start your disaster recovery plan, and give you something to work through with your business advisors, accountant and finance broker. You can also access advice and support from industry bodies, government and non-government organisations.

Assess your current conditions

Start by looking at your on farm resources.

How much feed to you have or have access to?

How healthy is your pasture?

Do you have access to sufficient water resources?

Then consider your finance. Analyse your cash flow and look at available support options.

Develop a recovery strategy

What would you need to do to recover? Look back at your recovery from previous disasters and consider what worked (or didn’t work).

How can you strategically restock livestock based on the structure of your herd?

Can you replant more resilient crops? If drought is an ongoing challenge, look at planting crops using more water-efficient techniques.

Do you have the right insurances in place?

Strengthen your business resilience

If you don’t already have one, now is a good time to create a business resilience plan for your farm or agribusiness. Already have one? Now is a good time to update it.

Talk to your finance broker or advisor about financial products you could invest in that would help in the future. You might also consider how you can diversify your income stream to mitigate risks.

Look at training programs offered by industry groups, government or private companies to ensure you and your team have the right risk management skills.

Community resilience is also extremely important for effective disaster recovery. Work with your neighbours and others in your local community to look at how you could share resources during a disaster. Can you set up programs or plans to provide support to each other?

Creating an action plan after a disaster

While much of a disaster recovery plan will focus on how to prepare your farm or agribusiness, you should also include a step-by-step disaster action plan. This will help you in those initial days and weeks, especially when the shock and emotion of what you have experienced might make it hard to function.

Step 1: Assess the damage

Conduct a thorough impact of the disaster on your crops, livestock, machinery, farm buildings and other resources.

Carefully evaluate the financial impact and the extent of your losses. This will be important when speaking to your bank, insurer and others.

Step 2: Set clear objectives

Once you understand the extent of the damage, look at what is realistic for your farm or agribusiness.

Make sure you align your recovery goals to your long-term business and financial goals.

Step 3: Explore your financial options

Work with your broker, advisor, or accountant to understand the financial options you can access.

              This might include:

• Government grants
• Low-interest loans
• Insurance claims

Make sure you understand the short-term and long-term impact of these options. Do they align with your long-term goals? There is no point accessing an expensive short-term financial option if it is going to cause you financial stress down the track.

Step 4: Develop strategic solutions

Once you’ve evaluated your current situation, identified your objectives and timelines for your recovery, and explored your financial situation, you’re ready to create your plan.

The clearer you can make it, the easier it will be to follow. But like all plans, you’ll need to be flexible and make adjustments throughout the recovery phase.

Step 5: Evaluate and update your recovery plan

As with any plan or business strategy, you need to evaluate your progress to understand what worked and what didn’t. Learn from your experience and ensure you update your resilience and recovery plans to include these lessons.

Government programs and financial support

It’s important to make the most of the government help after a disaster. There are financial and other resources available at both a federal and state level. Your industry body may also provide support and recovery programs.

The following links provide a useful place to explore government resources and support. These are current as at March 2025.

              Commonwealth Government disaster support

              Commonwealth Government drought resources

              Disaster Assist

              Services Australia natural disaster support 

              National Emergency Management Agency

              Regional Investment Corporation – drought loans

Preparation is the key to recovery

When things are good, planning for disaster might be the last thing on your mind. You’re busy harvesting or producing and you might think you’re too busy. But continuous planning and reviewing your strategies is the key to having a sustainable farming operation. With a well thought through farm business resilience plan, you’ll be more prepared to recover quickly from the next flood, fire, drought or other natural disaster.

Over to you

Are you prepared for disaster? Do you have an up-to-date disaster recovery plan? If you’re not sure where to start, get in touch. I can point you toward the right resources and training, and help you develop a plan to ensure you’re prepared when disaster strikes.

As always, if you know someone who would find this blog useful, please share it with them.