Sharing stories of resilience

A new Agriculture Victoria podcast series is highlighting the challenges faced by Victorian farmers in the past three years, from dry seasons to COVID-19, bushfires and floods.

Record rain across Victoria in spring 2022 saw farms affected by flooding, waterlogging, disease and supply chain disruptions.

The podcast ‘After the flood: stories of farmer recovery and resilience’ will explore recovery after a natural disaster, support provided and resilience of Victorian farmers, including how different industries are recovering.

Victoria’s rural assistance commissioner Peter Tuohey said listeners would hear from farmers who weathered the storms, their recovery, and what they learned.

“This podcast series shares real stories of farmers recovering from natural disasters. It’s about learning and moving forward together,” he said.

“The episodes highlight stages of recovery, through disaster to rebuilding.”

Episode one features farm business manager Chris Steele, who reflects on flooding impacts to his emerging irrigated horticulture crops on the Murray River and how a realistic cash-flow budget helped navigate the crisis.

Future episodes feature apiarists, grape growers, farmers recovering with assistance from rural financial counsellors, individuals affected by family tragedy and those on the road to recovery in a changing climate.

The series was produced by Agriculture Victoria in partnership with the National Centre for Farmer Health’s #Buildingfarmspirit program.

The podcast can be listened to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.