A horticulture farm growing specialised fruit and vegetable crops in Queensland has been successful in the latest round of Agritourism Business Grants from the State Government.
Petersen's Farm was one of twelve recipients of the funding program which aims to support the resilience of the farming sector while growing the agritourism sector in partnership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF).
The Farm, which is located 45 kilometres North West of Gympie, prides itself on growing specialised crops such as Rosella, Cape Gooseberry, Red Bora Beans, Chillies, Gourmet Tomatoes plus Asian Vegetables. The property also features CC’s Kitchen and an on-farm shop, which specialises in rosella products made from fruit grown on the farm. It also hosts visitors, particularly, the annual Big Rosella Festival on the May long weekend.
Photo credit: Petersen's Farm Instagram page
Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said providing co-funding allowed operators to establish or expand agritourism enterprises to meet the growing demand for unique Queensland experiences.
“Twelve farming businesses have secured between $8,000 to $25,000 in matched funding to engage specialist services, and construct or modify on-farm infrastructure,” the Minister said. "These farming businesses want to be more resilient and have the capacity to diversify or expand into successful agritourism businesses.”
Mr Furner said a series of agritourism development workshops had also been conducted under this initiative, making a real difference to farmers on how they approach the tourism part of their agritourism business, and to understand what resources are available to them.
“In 2020 the Palaszczuk Government established a $2 million agribusiness diversification project as part of the Unite and Recover: Economic Recovery Plan, to build capability and explore potential diversification opportunities in agricultural businesses,” he said. “QFF identified agritourism as a key diversification mechanism for agribusinesses and with DAF’s assistance, partnered with agritourism specialists Regionality Pty Ltd to develop the Queensland Agritourism Roadmap that identified barriers to and opportunities for agritourism growth across the state.”
QFF CEO Ms Jo Sheppard said agritourism helped to connect city communities to regional communities, builds a bridge between country and city, and grows an understanding of food production and an understanding of the agricultural sector more broadly.
“Congratulations to the successful grant recipients. I commend these farmers on the work they are doing to develop their own enterprises and to contribute to Queensland’s agritourism industry,” Ms Sheppard said.
For more information visit www.daf.qld.gov.au or www.qff.org.au