Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants are available to assist directly impacted primary producers, small businesses and non profit organisations with the costs of clean-up and reinstatement.
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Grants of up to $75,000 are available for affected producers following Tropical Cyclone Jasper, associated rainfall and flooding, 13 - 28 December 2023, to hire or purchase equipment and materials, clean up, remove debris, replace fencing and other costs associated with the recovery process. Producers should take photographs of the direct damage to accompany their application/s.
Applicants need to show they are an eligible primary producer, within the declared disaster area and demonstrate they have suffered direct impact from the disaster. Read below and the guidelines for more information.
The maximum grant amount is $75,000 and can be accessed through the following:

• Initial application/s up to the total amount of $10,000 is available to support an initial claim. Evidence of the direct damage is required such as photographs and quotations, tax invoices or official receipts.
• Subsequent application/s up to the total amount of $65,000 is available to support subsequent claims for which full evidence of payment is required.

Complete applications are assessed in order of receipt and QRIDA may request further information to help assess an application.

The Queensland Government continues to support small businesses with an increased grant of $7,500. This funding aims to help businesses enhance their market presence, build essential skills, and adopt best practices for long-term success.
Round six of the Business Basics grant covers:
Professional business advice
Strategic marketing services
Website building and/or upgrades
Key dates:
Registrations of Interest open 9am, Monday 30 September 2024
Applications close 5pm, Friday 11 October 2024
​Email us if you would like assistance: [email protected]
#BusinessBasics #SmallBusinessSupport

Join us for the GrownInNQ Innovation Expo 2024!
Welcome to the GrownIn NQ 2024 Agriculture Innovation Summit, a premier event celebrating the cutting-edge advancements shaping the future of agriculture.
Bowen Gumlu Growers Association in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are proud to host this event in Bowen, the Whitsundays region, renowned not only for its stunning natural beauty but also for its thriving agricultural landscape.
Bowen Gumlu Growers Association (BGGA) is a regional industry body that represents the interests of our members, horticultural growers, producers and associated agribusinesses in North Queensland. BGGA’s key activities include member services, advocacy, workforce and industry development and the delivery of projects focused on improving on-farm practices, commercial outcomes for farming businesses and the prosperity of our community.
Across this two day event, producers and agribusiness are invited to attend North Queensland’s largest innovation showcase, including an industry breakfast, ag tech farm tour and innovation expo including demonstrations and informative presentations from industry experts from across Australia, all aimed at helping growers integrate new technologies and systems to boost efficiency, sustainability and profitability.
You will have the opportunity to explore the latest innovations in agribusiness from precision farming to smart irrigation systems.
Grown In NQ 2024 is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as part of its Support Regional Trade Events Program.
We would also like to thank our generous major sponsor Metagen, and event sponsor NQ Aerovation.

Applications are now open for the evokeAG. 2025 Startup Program. This prestigious event, recently awarded Startup Event of the Year at Startup Daily’s 2024 Best in Tech Awards, offers a unique platform for agrifood tech startups to showcase their solutions, attract investment, and forge commercial partnerships.
Forty high-potential startups will receive a free pass to participate in evokeAG. 2025 in Brisbane on 18-19 February 2025. Australian-based innovators in agritech, foodtech, spacetech, climate tech, biotech, and sustainability are encouraged to apply, with ten places reserved for international startups.

Don't miss this opportunity to drive positive change in the agrifood sector.The evokeAG. Startup Program serves as a dynamic bridge within the agrifood tech landscape, linking emerging startups and ambitious scaleups with a diverse ecosystem encompassing farmers, innovators, researchers, industry giants, government bodies, and investors. Through this program, founders gain a compelling platform to not only share their stories and success but also to spotlight their groundbreaking innovation, which are pioneering transformative solutions to pressing global agrifood technology challenges. Join us on this journey of innovation and discovery.
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Applications open Monday, 16 September 2024 and will close at 11.59pm AEDT on Sunday, 20 October 2024.

Far North Queensland is home to some of the best farmers in the world.  They invest millions every year to reduce farm waste, choose environmentally responsible processing and packaging options, value add to underutilised crops, improve soil quality, decrease water consumption, embrace the latest and most innovative ag technology, and care for their staff.  If you spend time talking to a farmer, they will tell you about their passion for taking care of their farm and the land it is on.
With such a high calibre of farmers in our region how do we recognise the best of the best, the cream of the crop?  Who is not just growing quality crops but also is farming sustainably, being innovative and leading their industry and their community?  For more than a decade, that benchmark has been set with the annual Charlie Nastasi Farmer of the Year Award.
Charlie Nastasi was a stalwart of the Far North Queensland farming community throughout his life.  Charlie and his wife Lucy grew tobacco and then pumpkins, sweet potato and other vegetables on their farm in Biboohra which was first established by his father Salvatore Nastasi in the 1940s. 
In 1975 Charlie planted 3,600 mango trees.  As his neighbours moved onto greener pastures, Charlie bought their farms and planted more creating a flourishing 73-hectare farm of 17,500 Kensington Pride, Kensington Red, Keitt and the family’s own Pearl mango trees.  
In 1999, Charlie saw an opportunity to value add to their mangoes, creating new income streams and protecting the farm business against fluctuating fruit prices.  The Golden Drop Winery not only became the first commercial winery in North Queensland, but also a flourishing agri tourism venture.
Today Charlie’s sons Sam and Dino continue their father’s legacy not only running the farm but also leading the industry by participating in a number of programs to care for the Great Barrier Reef including achieving Hort360 Reef Certification. Grassy interrows, earthworks to prevent erosion and loss of topsoil, scouting to improve efficacy of chemical use, and retaining riparian vegetation are some of the ways the Nastasi family looks after their farm, and in turn waterways leading to the reef.
On Friday the 13th of September, 290 members of the Far North Queensland farming community came together in Mareeba at the FNQ Growers Gala Dinner, to learn who would be honoured as the 2024 Charlie Nastasi Horticultural Farmer of the Year.  FNQ Growers President, Mr Joe Moro was impressed by the quality of finalists. “Our growers are leading the world with their innovation and industry leadership, and we should be very proud of them.”
 
The 2023 Charlie Nastasi Farmer of the Year was Lorraine Stopford from Rocky Creek Orchards on the Atherton Tablelands. Lorraine was the first woman to win the title and was honoured to showcase the role that women play on farm. ​“Until 1994, Australian women were not allowed to list their legal occupation as ‘farmer’, so to be awarded the Charlie Nastasi Farmer of the Year Award is a huge deal.”

Nominations for the 2024 Award were received from throughout the Far North Queensland region. Four finalists were selected from the nominations to be assessed by the judges for their innovation, industry leadership and community contribution. Finalists included Joe Zappala growing papaya and sugar cane, Deb Nucifora growing mangoes, Claude Santucci growing lemons and sugar cane, and Bradley Moulton growing lemon myrtle.

After a presentation on the farm business of each finalist, Lucy Nastasi joined FNQ Growers President Joe Moro on stage to present the 2024 Charlie Nastasi Horticultural Farmer of the Year award to Deb Nucifora. Deb is active in the community as well as in her mango business with 17,000 trees in the orchard. A hard-working volunteer and business manager, Deb attends every Australian Mango Industry Association conference and is always looking for opportunities to develop the Deb’s Gold Mangoes brand.  Outside of her farming business, Deb is also heavily involved in the community as a volunteer with the Paddy’s Green Rural Fire Brigade and the President of Mareeba Flexi Choice providing services to people with a disability.
 
Deb was joined by her husband John, children and grandchildren as she celebrated the win and joined in the bidding for the charity auction.  Donations of fruit and vegetables were auctioned off to the highest bidder raising almost $23,000 for charities including the Mareeba Friends of the Hospital Foundation, Down Syndrome Queensland and the Black Cockatoo Foundation to support mental health.  Winning bids came from many industry stakeholders, some of whom had travelled from as far away as Western Australia to join the celebrations.  Nominations for the 2025 Charlie Nastasi Horticultural Farmer of the Year will open in July.

As we entered the new financial year, we decided that a change is as good as a holiday and so we have changed the brand and the name of our organisation to AgriFood Catalyst.  This new brand allows us to focus on our passion for supporting Australian farmers, First Nations food entrepreneurs and food manufacturers to grow sustainably from paddock to packet.  Working closely with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers, AgForce Qld, Local Governments, Industry Organisations and individual businesses; we will continue to connect people, strategically deliver projects and support new innovations.  If you would like to work with us please send us an email to [email protected]

​We have had a long and fruitful working relationship with DAF.  When operating out of the Bunda St kitchens, DAF provided the expertise of food scientists to support our clients to develop commercially viable and tasty recipes.  In recent times we have partnered to deliver the Indigenous Native Food Development Program and recently we have received support to map the Indigenous food ecosystem in Queensland.  Amongst other projects, we have now taken on a three-month contract to work closely with the Regional Economic Development (RED) team providing agribusiness development support to primary producers, specifically in the Northwest Mineral Province and Atherton Tablelands region. If you have a project or would like to explore an innovation, please shoot Lara an email to [email protected]
Our work to strategically connect stakeholders in the agrifood industry takes on many forms.  Attending workshops, meetings and events as well as facilitating training and projects. We provide communications support to FNQ Growers and have been connecting our Queensland agrifood supply chain by attending monthly meeting to represent the growers of Far North Queensland to the Queensland Horticultural Council.  This allows us to advocate for growers and keep our finger on the industry pulse.

In our ongoing support of the FNQ Growers organisation, we have been interviewing the nominees for the 2024 Charlie Nastasi Farmer of the Year.  Taking the time to travel to farms throughout the FNQ region, film interviews with the nominees and then provide research on each to the judging panel, we have had a chance to get up close and personal with mango, papaya, citrus, sugar cane and lemon myrtle growers.  With four excellent finalists rising to the top of the list, we are very glad we are not a judge who has to pick the most innovative farming leader in the FNQ region this year. 
FNQ Growers President, Mr Joe Moro is impressed by the quality of finalists. “I believe that the horticultural industry in Far North Queensland has a very promising future with farmers like our finalists leading the way.” The 2023 Charlie Nastasi Farmer of the Year was Lorraine Stopford from Rocky Creek Orchards on the Atherton Tablelands. Lorraine was the first woman to win the title and was honoured to showcase the role that women play on farm.
​“I am privileged to be acknowledged for my work on farm, but I am also very aware that we are a family business, and my success has been built on the work that we do as a family.”
All of the nominations this year agreed that family was integral to farming success. Nominations were received from throughout the Far North Queensland region. Four finalists have been selected from the nominations to be assessed by the judges for their innovation, industry leadership and community contribution. Finalists include Joe Zappala growing papaya and sugar cane, Deb Nucifora growing mangoes, Claude Santucci growing lemons and sugar cane, and Bradley Moulton growing lemon myrtle.
Joe Zappala has been growing sugar cane and papayas on the family farm near South Johnstone for nearly forty years. He has invested heavily in fertigation systems and crop rotation to improve water efficiencies and soil quality. Joe also works with Papaya Australia to grow seed supplies with breeding systems to develop superior plant varieties.
Deb Nucifora is active in the community as well as in her mango business. A hard-working volunteer and business manager, Deb attends every Mango industry conference and is always looking for opportunities to develop the Deb’s Gold Mangoes brand.
Claude Santucci has been a leader of the cane industry for many years and brings his experience as a mentor and community leader to the citrus industry. Claude believes that citrus growers can learn a lot from the cane industry particularly in the strategy to be price makers rather than price takers.
Bradley Moulton leads the team at Australian Native Products as the largest grower and processor of organic Lemon Myrtle in the country. With farms in the Mareeba area as well as over the border in Northern New South Wales, Bradley is working to make the farm as sustainable as possible and working to develop export markets.
FNQ Growers will announce the winner of the 2024 Charlie Nastasi Farmer of the Year Award at the black tie gala dinner on September 13thin Mareeba. Join them for the charity auction and entertainment by Shandell at the Mareeba International Club as they celebrate the very best of farming in Far North Queensland. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased through www.trybooking.com/COTDM

ATIC project is gaining momentum in the region with plenty of projects and events underway.   

This Friday the 6th of September, Angela Nason from Tablelands2Tabletop will be hosting a workshop to engage more of our community and gain their feedback. 

​Be sure to stay up to date on new ATIC developments by subscribing to the newsletter: https://www.sustainabletable.org.au/projects/cairns-atherton-tablelands
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