user_mobilelogo

What we do

Rural Financial Counselling Services are:

  • Free, independent and confidential
  • Staffed by qualified and experienced Rural Financial Counsellors (RFCs) who understand farming and business – our RFCs are required to have a Diploma of Financial Counselling as minimum qualification, and have years of experience in assisting farming businesses
  • For primary producers of livestock, milk, honey, fruit, crops, wool, meat, vegetables, eggs, fish, plants, trees and logs
  • For small businesses who mainly support primary production such as: fencing, shearing sheep, controlling weeds or agricultural pests, managing stock, planting crops etc.
  • Able to assist farm or small agribusinesses experiencing or at risk of financial hardship
  • Able to come to your place of business or you can come and see us.

Assistance when

Rural Financial Counselling Services can assist businesses affected by:

  • Drought/water issues
  • Low commodity prices
  • Natural disasters
  • Structural adjustment
  • Industry downturns
  • Low equity/tight cash flow
  • Difficulties with lenders or access to finance
  • Unpaid creditors/debtors
  • Market disruptions
  • Changes in personal circumstances
  • Farm accidents or illness
  • Share farming/succession agreements/ contracts.

How can we help you

Rural Financial Counselling Services can help you:

  • Understand your financial position and the viability of your enterprise
  • Identify options to improve your financial position
  • Develop a plan to implement your chosen options, and implement that plan
  • Provide information, referrals, and support to access, government or industry grants and programs
  • Assist you to deal (whether through meetings or otherwise) with lending institutions in relation to:
    • Applications and contracts with those institutions; and
    • Processes relating to farm debt mediation
  • Assist you to identify the need for advice from professional service providers, and provide support with preparation for meetings with professional service providers.

News

NE Regional Soil Health Conference

NECMA conference

North East Regional Soil Health Conference - 14 May 2021 at Beechworth is for ALL land managers, agriculture industry groups and soil health service providers in North East Victoria.
Read more ...

Farm Finance getting prepared 2021 Webinar

Farm Finance

The team at the Young Farmer Business Network have put together a series of sessions designed to build skills in financial planning and business resilience for your farm business.
Read more ...

blog dairy1

The Australian Dairy Industry faces challenging times with softening global milk prices and reduced demand.

If we review the history of the dairy industry over the past 35 years we can see that the national herd size is quite similar yet there is less than one third the number of farms as the trend towards larger farming operations.

 

Australian Dairy Industry Overview

Number of Registered Dairy Farms;

  • 1979/80     21,994 farms
  • 2014/15       6,128 farms


Number of Dairy Cows;

  • 1979/80   1,880,000 cows
  • 2014/15   1,740,000 cows


Average Herd Size;

  • 93 cows in 1985 to an estimated 284 cows now

 

Australian Dairy Industry 2014/15

Milk Production;

  • 9,731 billion litres


Average Annual Milk Production Per Cow;

  • 5,730 litres

The Dairy Industry is a $13.5 billion farm, manufacturing and export industry making it Australia's 3rd Largest Rural Industry


Milk Utilisation;

  • Cheese 31 per cent
  • SMP/butter 27 per cent
  • Drinking milk 25 per cent
  • WMP 8 per cent
  • Other 9 per cent


Dairy - Major Export Industry;

  • $2.88 billion (2014/15)
  • 6 per cent of world dairy trade


Percentage Of Australian Milk Production Exported;

  • 34 per cent (2014/15)


Major Markets For Australian Dairy Products (Tonnes);

  • Australia 3,033,000 (including drinking milk)
  • Greater China 136,400
  • Japan 103,900
  • Singapore 86,600
  • Indonesia 59,400
  • Malaysia 51,100


Per Capita Domestic Consumption;

  • Drinking milk 105 litres
  • Cheese 13.6 kilograms


Dairy Industry Workforce;

  • Direct employment of approximately 39,000

 

Service Area Map

rfcs vic ne region map

Local Government Areas

The RFCS VIC-NE Region includes the following Local Government Areas;

  • Alpine
  • Benalla
  • Campaspe
  • Greater Shepparton
  • Indigo
  • Mansfield
  • Mitchell
  • Moira
  • Murrindindi
  • Strathbogie
  • Towong
  • Wangaratta
  • Whittlesea
  • Wodonga

Call 1300 834 775 to find out what assistance we may be able to provide you, or make an appointment with one of our experienced Rural Financial Counsellors.

AgBiz Group

ABA logo

 

AgBiz Care Logo 300

Contact Us

Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria - North East.

102 Hume Street

Wodonga VIC 3689

PHONE: 1300 834 775

EMAIL: info@rfcsvicne.org.au

FAX: (02) 6100 6123