Victorian Minister for Agriculture Michaela Settle at Sheepvention.

A FURTHER $600,000 has been granted to the Look Over the Farm Gate farmer and community support program by the Victorian Government.

Minister for Agriculture Michaela Settle announced the funding during the recent Hamilton Sheepvention Rural Expo at the Women In Ag luncheon.

She said the government’s responsibility included listening, showing up and putting practical support behind the knowledge and leadership that already existed in communities.

“That includes recognizing that the strain of difficult seasons is not just financial.

“It follows people into their homes, their relationships and their communities, and often the people doing the most to hold everyone else together are the least likely to say they too are struggling.”

Ms Settle said she lived through the Millennium Drought in southern and eastern Australia from 1997 to 2010.

“I remember what it was like on the farm, I can remember you just want to talk about something else, but it’s the one thing that gets discussed endlessly.

“And the kids are involved and you are worried if you’ve got the money to buy their runners, so it’s the whole family the whole of community that it impacts,” she said.

“And so that’s why I am pleased that I can announced today a further $600,000 for the Look Over the Farm Gate program.”

The Victorian Government established the Look Over the Farm Gate community grants program as part of the 2025 Drought Support Package to help communities come together and support farmers and farming families under stress. It initially met the immediate needs of bushfire affected communities and has been extended. It is administered by the National Centre for Farmer Health at Hamilton on behalf of the Victorian Government.

Ms Settlre said the program provided grants of up to $5000 for locally led events that support farmers, farming families and their communities.

“We’ve deliberately done it as a really local model so that communtiies can decide what will bring people together, whether it’s a barbecue, farm visit, community dinner or sporting activity.

“These gatherings can seem like a simple thing but a conversation at the right moment can reduce isolation and help someone reach out and ask for that support,” she said.

“More than 40,000 people have already taken part in More than 320 Look Over the Farm Gate event across Victoria and that tells us something.

“Something important, that connection is not an optional extra during difficult times, it keeps regional communities strong.”

Ms Settle acknowledged the National Centre for Farm Health, the volunteers and local organisations that deliver the program.