Agricultural Development Fund

Grants up to $500,000 to support industry-driven, collaborative projects that promote growth and innovation to address the emerging issues and opportunities in Tasmania’s agricultural sector.

Current status of program

CLOSED

To register your interest in future rounds or discuss alternative grant opportunities please contact us here.

On this page you will find

• An overview of the ADF
• Every detail you will need to know
• Resources and help to get the grant

What is the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF)?

The Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) is a Tasmanian Government investment in industry-driven research that addresses emerging issues and opportunities for the state’s agricultural sector.

The fund supports projects that have strong support and partnership from industry and that demonstrate a clear strategy to deliver on-farm impacts, as well as broader benefits to the sector and Tasmania.

The ADF promotes sustainable growth and innovation and is available to all Tasmanian agricultural industries that contribute to the AgriVision 2050 target to increase the farm gate value of Tasmanian agriculture to $10 billion per annum by 2050. 

Funding is also available from the Agricultural Innovation Fund (AIF) for projects delivered in partnership with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.

ADF and AIF grants are both offered via the ADF funding round and share the same guidelines and application form. Grants from each will be allocated by the grant administrators.

ADF level of support

Grant

• Up to $500,000

Co-contribution

• None required, however, applicant co-investment is a key assessment consideration

ADF important dates

• This program is currently closed
• Register your interest here with GrantHelper

ADF important details that you will need to know

ADF assessment criteria

Ref	Criteria	Weighting
1	Benefit to Tasmanian agriculture Compelling evidence for broad benefits to Tasmania and the state’s agricultural sector, beyond a small number of individuals or businesses	20%
2	High-quality agricultural RD&E Robust project plan and a project team with the demonstrated capability to undertake the research	15%
3	Partnership approach Demonstrate a strong partnership (support, engagement, and co-investment) between industry and the RD&E provider(s)	15%
4	Clear impact pathway Clearly show the connection from RD&E investment to farm- and business-level impact, including provision for extension, and how the impact will be measured and reported	20%
5	Alignment with funding priorities Alignment with the ADF funding priorities and complement government policy and programs	15%
6	Cost Demonstrate value for money and include a sufficiently detailed budget to enable transparency and accountability for the use of public funds	15%

See the guidelines for full details of the assessment criteria.

ADF resources

• Source
• Guidelines
• Apply

Scroll down for a summary of successful applicants from the previous round.

How do I get ADF?

You should read and understand the guidelines.

You need to ensure you are eligible for the funding. Applicants that do not meet all the eligibility criteria outlined above will not be considered.

Successful applicants will demonstrate:

• an industry-supported project that identifies a need or opportunity and provides a clear pathway to farm-level impact as well as delivering benefits for the sector and state
• strong, high-quality collaboration that demonstrates partner engagement and commitment
• a project that represents value for money and an effective use of public funds
• the experience, capability and resources to successfully deliver the project within the agreed timeline

Successful applicants in previous round

Partners	Project title/description
ADF projects
Fruit Growers Tasmania, RMCG, Costa Exchange, Hillwood Berries, Tasmanian Berries, Hills Transplants	Reuse and recycling of hydroponic substrate to enable the growth of high value agricultural production in Tasmania   This project will reduce reliance on imports of coir, an important substrate for horticultural industries, by evaluating the re-use of spent coir and experimenting with local agricultural by-products. This will help to promote a robust circular economy for Tasmanian agricultural businesses.
Pinion Advisory, TasCor Agri	Optimising calf raising for dairy beef production in Tasmania   This project will determine the best approach for raising surplus dairy calves for dairy beef production. The project will examine different rearing methods to meet processor requirements and will also study the financial cost-benefit of dairy beef production and impacts on animal health and welfare.
SeedPurity, Bejo Australia, South Pacific Seeds, Tasmanian Pollination Services	Development of the hoverfly, Eristalis tenax, as a complementary managed pollinator for Tasmanian cropping systems   This project will develop commercial rearing and deployment protocols for hoverflies (Eristalis tenax) as a complementary pollinator for pollination-limited crops. This will help future-proof Tasmanian industries by diversifying managed pollinators, drive industry expansion, improve yields and profitability in some crops, and provide a greater understanding of conditions promoting pollinator retention in crops.
Sea Forest, Tasmanian Stockfeed Services, Fonterra, Kingston Farm, Annadale Farm, Tas Ag Co, Analytical Services Tasmania	Production of an Asparagopsis pellet that will be suitable for farmers to integrate into their feeding systems   This project will develop a commercial formulation for a seaweed-based feed supplement that can be fed to cattle and sheep to reduce their methane emissions and deliver productivity gains.
AIF Projects
Fonterra, Sea Forest, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture	On-farm adoption of low emissions feed technologies for improved profitability of the Tasmanian livestock sector   This project will evaluate the use of biochar to deliver Asparagopsis seaweed at a commercial scale to livestock in Tasmania, and assess the combined impact of biochar and Asparagopsis on greenhouse gas reduction, productivity gains, animal health and soil carbon.
Wine Tasmania, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture	Beating smoke taint with sparkling wine – Climate Change Adaptation for the Tasmanian wine industry   This project will investigate the production of sparkling wine from smoke-affected wine grapes as a mitigation strategy. The outputs will provide winemakers with the knowledge to help them develop risk management strategies against the impacts of climate change.
Partnership with Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture	Development of a decision support system for management of potato diseases and estimating impact of changing climates   This project will develop a tool that will allow the potato industry to predict and control disease more effectively. This will increase productivity and profitability of the industry, while decreasing food waste, pesticide use and environmental impacts. It will also provide a valuable tool for modelling the impact of future climate change.
Fruit Growers Tasmania, Southern Cross University, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture	New on-farm strategies for the prevention and control of blueberry rust in Tasmania   This project will provide the blueberry industry with practical information and precision tools to manage blueberry rust through the evaluation of pathogen survival over winter and defoliation as a potential control measure.

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