Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority

🌾💧Our Far North Queensland Regional Area Manager Sam Spina, recently spoke at the Canegrowers Herbert River meeting, addressing flood-impacted growers. Sam shared valuable insights on the disaster financial assistance available from QRIDA, including the expanded grant scheme for replanting crops from the North and Far North Tropical Low event. 🌀 If you're a primary producer, small business or non-profit organisation impacted by this event, QRIDA's disaster assistance could help you get back on your feet. For more details on the assistance available, visit our website or reach out to your local Regional Area Manager on 1800 623 946. 📞

📢 Grant funding increased for 📍North Queensland! Increased Exceptional Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants of up to $75,000 are now available for primary producers, and up to $50,000 for small businesses and non-profit organisations. These grants can help eligible operations fund even more recovery activities including purchasing equipment and materials to undertake clean-up, disposing of damaged goods, repairing buildings, and more. For more information about the grants, including eligibility criteria, guidelines and resources to help you apply, visit QRIDA’s website here 👉 https://bit.ly/3F38seX Note: These grants were previously available to eligible primary producers, small businesses and non-profit organisations for up to $25,000. 

In late 2023, Tropical Cyclone Jasper 🌀 left a devastating impact on communities across Far North Queensland. Today, as the region recovers from the North and Far North Queensland Tropical Low, we take a look back on the Lions Den Hotel and how they recovered from TC Jasper with the help of a disaster recovery grant and loan from QRIDA. The financial strain of the disaster was immense for this small business but with financial assistance from QRIDA, owner, Judith Fry was able to clean up and restore the popular local watering hole and tourist attraction to re-open its doors within six-months🚪 ✅ Read Judith’s story to learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/3FhyDPq

We’re joining in on the Queensland Women’s Week celebrations 🎉 by highlighting some of the wonderful women who make up QRIDA and Queensland’s wider agricultural industry, including egg producer Amanda Kuhn 🥚 Amanda Kuhn, her husband Nick along with their three children are the proud owners of Brother Brother Organics, a pasture-raised, free-range egg business located on the back roads of Tiaro. Amanda enjoys involving her whole family in their farming business with the children helping to collect eggs and joining them on early morning runs to the local markets and businesses. “I think a lot of our customers love the story as well. We’re not just a husband and wife team, it’s a family effort.” The Kuhns originally operated from Nick’s parent’s property near Maryborough but with the help of a QRIDA Sustainability Loan were able to purchase their own block of land to operate their business from. #QWW25 #MarchForward

⚠️ With Tropical Cyclone Alfred forecast to impact South East Queensland over the coming days, please be aware there may be disruptions to QRIDA’s telecommunication and client service channels. If you are unable to contact QRIDA by 📞 phone on 1800 623 946, please email 📧 your enquiry to us at contact_us@qrida.qld.gov.au We ask for your patience during this time and our team will respond to you as soon as possible.

QRIDA is continuing to work hard to administer disaster financial assistance to primary producers, small businesses and non-profit organisations that were impacted by the recent North and Far North Tropical Low event. Read Hinchinbrook Life's article below to find out about one of Regional Area Manager for Far North, Sam Spina’s recent visits to a flood-impacted community and how we are helping impacted operations clean-up and recover as soon as possible 👇. For more information about QRIDA’s disaster grants and concessional loans, visit QRIDA’s website here 👉 https://bit.ly/46qCenH

We’re joining in on the Queensland Women’s Week celebrations 🎉 by highlighting some of the wonderful women who make up QRIDA, including Regional Area Managers Tegan McBride, Kate Dunk and Cindy Godden! Tegan (📍Central Coast and Whitsundays), Kate (📍Darling Downs) and Cindy (📍Burnett) help primary producers get started and grow their operations with QRIDA’s concessional finance. A major part of their roles is helping more women break into the agricultural industry by purchasing their first property and herd of livestock, entering into lease and share farming arrangements, and carrying out succession plans. Tegan, Kate, and Cindy’s regional service alongside QRIDA’s concessional loans are making entry to farming that much easier for aspiring Queensland female producers. #QWW #MarchForward

We’re joining in on the Queensland Women’s Week celebrations 🎉 by highlighting some of the wonderful women who make up QRIDA and Queensland’s wider agricultural industry, including Hughenden beef grazier, Julia Burge! Julia and her husband, Sam both grew up on the land and developed a passion for the beef industry that they wanted to share with their own young family 👨👩👧👦 With the support of a QRIDA First Start Loan they were able to purchase 200 head of pregnancy tested in-calf (PTIC) heifers to accompany their existing 323 head of cattle, build their numbers and take a step forward in creating a viable beef operation 🐮 “We definitely couldn’t have done it off our own back. Being a young family it would have just been too hard, too much. The First Start Loan has definitely given us the lift that we need.” #QWW25 #MarchForward

We’re joining in on the Queensland Women’s Week celebrations 🎉 by highlighting some of the wonderful women who make up QRIDA and Queensland’s wider agricultural industry, including Biloela beef producer, Casey Alsop! 🐮 🌾 From a new entrant to the beef industry a decade ago to now the co-owner of a profitable cattle operation, Casey, alongside her husband Sam Alsop, is proving as a young grazier to watch with dreams of further expanding the family operation. Casey and Sam got their start in primary production after receiving a QRIDA First Start Loan to purchase Sam’s parents’ property and a QRIDA Sustainability Loan to help improve their operation’s water infrastructure. Not only is Casey a passionate cattle producer, but she’s also the busy owner of a small footwear boutique, a mother and wife, and a valuable member of her rural community in Central Queensland. #QWW25 #MarchForward

We’re joining in on the Queensland Women’s Week celebrations 🎉 by highlighting some of the wonderful women who make up QRIDA, starting with our Disasters and Drought Manager, Sheree Finney. Sheree leads QRIDA’s important work in helping Queensland primary producers, small businesses, and non-profit organisations recover from extreme weather events, including the recent North Queensland floods. We asked Sheree what the #QWW theme of #MarchForward means to her. Read below to find out 👇. “I reflect on how my mother worked for Queensland public service, but when she became a married woman, she was required to give up her role. The noise made by women and allied men, and the continued March Forward approach, saw this rule abolished. Much to many people’s relief, but also to my benefit. March Forward is a reminder of what we march towards, and how we can’t remain content that those rights will just always remain. The empowerment to contribute, make decisions and be given a place at the table is what Marching Forward is to me. Community is strengthened, and everyone is supported by the inclusion and empowerment of woman equally to that of our men.” #QWW25 #MarchForward