Rural Finance offices and farm insurance help Victorians face challenges

A new Rural Finance office has just opened in Swan Hill, which should enable farming families around the city to improve their financial security.

Another way you can do this, of course, is to organise farm insurance. This will make sure that, should the worst happen, you won't be left completely out-of-pocket.

So, what does a Rural Finance office do? According to Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh, it supports the growth of Victoria's agriculture sector in a number of important ways.

1) It helps farming families to "better understand the business environment" in which they're operating.

2) It provides them with vital information about emerging trends in their industry.

3) It teaches farming families how to put their businesses in a good position to face "any future challenges".

"Rural Finance is an important government partner that provides a bridge between many of our assistance programs and the farming communities they are designed to help," explained Mr Walsh in a February 14 statement.

"By building the capability and capacity of industry to manage change and business risks, we are helping to put our producers in the best possible place to capture global opportunities."

He added that every Rural Finance office that's been set up across the state will help the Victorian government to achieve its goal of doubling food and fibre production by 2030.

As is stands, the value of food and fibre exported from Victoria to key overseas markets is sitting at $9.4 billion.

This represents a 5 per cent jump on the previous year and means Victoria is "the largest food and fibre exporting state" in the whole country, reveals the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.

If you'd like to boost the financial security of your farm, consider - in addition to visiting your local Rural Finance office - organising farm liability and other types of cover with Elders Insurance today.