17 Jan 2023
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and the Queensland Government are pleased to announce that 12 primary producers from around the state have been successful in securing grants in the highly competitive round 2 of the Queensland Agritourism Grants Program.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said providing co-funding allowed operators to establish or expand agritourism enterprises to meet growing demand for unique Queensland experiences.
“Twelve farming businesses have secured between $8,000 to $25,000 in matched funding to engage specialist services, and construct or modify on-farm infrastructure,” the Minister said.
“These farming businesses want to be more resilient and have the capacity to diversify or expand into successful agritourism businesses.”
QFF CEO Ms Jo Sheppard said agritourism helps to connect city communities to regional communities, builds a bridge between country and city, grows an understanding of food production and an understanding of the agricultural sector more broadly.
“Congratulations to the successful grant recipients. I commend these farmers on the work they are doing to develop their own enterprises and to contribute to Queensland’s agritourism industry,” Ms Sheppard said.
Mr Furner said a series of agritourism development workshops had also been conducted under this initiative, making a real difference to farmers on how they approach the tourism part of their agritourism business, and to understand what resources are available to them.
“In 2020 the Palaszczuk Government established a $2 million agribusiness diversification project as part of the Unite and Recover: Economic Recovery Plan, to build capability and explore potential diversification opportunities in agricultural businesses,” he said.
“QFF identified agritourism as a key diversification mechanism for agribusinesses and with DAF’s assistance, partnered with agritourism specialists Regionality Pty Ltd to develop the Queensland Agritourism Roadmap that identified barriers to and opportunities for agritourism growth across the state.”
Farm |
Agritourism Venture |
LGA |
| Daintree Saltwater Barramundi Farm | Hook-A-Barra on the Daintree Saltwater Barramundi Farm New Tour | Douglas |
| Emdale, cropping and cattle farmers | Emdale Farmstay | Toowoomba |
| High Valley Dawn Permaculture Farm | Regenerative Agriculture Ecotourism Project | Livingstone |
| Petersen’s Farm, horticulture farmers | Connecting People, produce and place through Big Rosella events | Gympie |
| Mustard Seed Services, dairy farmers and beef cattle graziers | Country Living Workshops | Scenic Rim |
| Stratford Station, beef cattle grazing | Ecoultura Project | Blackall-Tambo |
| The Creek Whitsundays, Brahman cows and stud Brahmans | The Creek Whitsundays | Whitsunday |
| Canefields, sugar cane farmers | Canefields Distillery – Sugar cane crusher commissioning | Sunshine Coast |
| WaterPark Farm, Tea Tree plantation farmers | Waterpark Farm Tea Tree plantation retail outlet | Livingstone |
| Ogg & co., wool Marino sheep and beef cattle breeders | Ayrshire Downs Caravan and Camping | Winton |
| Firebreak Farm, lamb, pig and cattle farmers | The Firebreak | South Burnett |
| Rising Sun Alpacas, Dorper sheep, Large Black (English Heritage) Pigs, and Alpaca farmers | Regenerate@RisingSun | Southern Downs |
END
Media contact: Rebecca Donohoe (07) 3837 4720 qfarmers@qff.org.au
Background: What is agritourism? Agritourism is a tourism-related agricultural experience, service or product that connects visitors with people, places or products on a farm.
Agritourism is an important growth industry for Queensland’s economy, particularly in regional and rural areas over the next decade and is worth an estimated $4.5 billion by 2030. With the Olympic opportunity on the horizon, now is the time to invest in the future of this exciting sector.
Agritourism creates opportunities for farmers and regions to thrive, by connecting the farming economy with the tourism economy. It is an opportunity for farmers to add value, diversify, use spare capacity and underutilised assets.
It is a key diversification strategy in developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that businesses and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive in an ever-changing world.
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