Feed testing, extended loans and advisory services in drought plan

Extended drought preparation loans, free feed and water testing, and more advisory services are part of an expanded NSW Government drought plan. The measures were announced this week in response to increasingly dry conditions, following discussions by the Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty and the Southern NSW Drought Coordinator with farmers and their families, mayors and local MPs. Ms Moriarty said the government recognised the pressures farmers were facing in dry conditions. “Our Government has been implementing new drought initiatives over the last six months following meetings I’ve had with farmers, mayors and local MPs," she said. “Practical measures have been boosted to benefit the operations of the farm, such as free water and feed testing, and enhanced targeting of feral pigs, pests and kangaroos who are competing against livestock for food and water across the drier grazing areas. “The southern NSW drought coordinator and drought adoption officer program we introduced has demonstrated its success and that is why we are funding the extension of the role and program to keep working with farmers and assist them to access services and support." Assistance and services now include: • Doubling the loan amount available from $250,000 up to $500,000 under the $250 million Drought Ready and Resilient Fund so farmers can undertake larger, sustainability focused drought resilience projects while also covering operational costs such as feed and transport; • Establishing a small Drought Relief Loan of up to $100,000 with an upfront payment option, reduced documentation requirements, and no property as security on the loan requirement. Information on these is available online at https://www.raa.nsw.gov.au/loans/drought-assistance Applications open 10 March 2026. • Another $1.8m in funding for the NSW Rural Financial Counselling Service providing free and independent financial counselling to eligible farmers experiencing, or at risk of, financial hardship. More information online at rfcsnsw.org.au or phone 1800 319 458 to make an appointment. • Extending the Drought Adoption Officer Program, which has delivered 2,000 one-on-one landholder consultations, and 880 events and farm visits. • Extending the Southern NSW Drought Coordinator to end of 2026 and to western NSW. • Free feed and water testing through Local Land Services to help farmers assess feed and water quality to plan feed budgets and manage their livestock’s health. Phone LLS on 02 6841 6500 or they have an office in Forbes. • Reducing kangaroo populations in drought affected western NSW to help combat the emerging kangaroo grazing pressure competing for feed and water. • Increasing support for landholders in drought-impacted regions where limited food and water drives the feral and pest animals to compete with livestock around critical water points and shaded areas. This is in addition to low-interest loans through the Drought Ready and Resilient Fund; the Farm Business Resilience Program; the Farmgate Support Program; the Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program; Local Land Services farmer extension services including the drought adoption officers program launched in late 2023 and now extended. Another tool is myStockPlanner launched in October 2025, a free planning platform to help farmers calculate livestock requirements, feed plans, projected costs of livestock, plus sale and retention options. Ms Moriarty said there had been some calls for transport and feed subsidies, but advice from the previous government’s 2021 evaluation report into drought relief measures, showed they could also drive up prices of transport and feed.