Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW

25/06/2026

Looking for a reason to get off the farm for a catch up with friends and locals? We've got a good one. 🎬

RFCS NSW is hosting a FREE community screening of Just A Farmer in Narrandera on Friday 10 July, and we'd love for you to join us. Come along for dinner and watch an award-winning Australian film that's been moving rural communities across the country.

Just A Farmer tells the story of a farming family navigating loss, grief and the realities of life on the land. It's the kind of film that starts conversations - honest, moving, and deeply relevant to everything our communities are navigating right now.

📅 Friday 10 July
📍 Narrandera Bowling & Recreation Club
🍽️ Dinner from 5:30pm | 🎬 Film from 6:30pm | Q&A with film maker Leila McDougall afterwards

🎟️ Book here: https://events.humanitix.com/just-a-farmer-community-screening-narrandera

Support services will be on hand throughout the evening, including RFCS NSW. Bring a friend, neighbour or anyone else who deserves a night out.

Made possible by the generosity of local sponsors - Community Bank Narrandera & District; Narrandera Shire Council; Auswild Broad Pty Ltd; Devlins Bridge Wind Farm; McGrath Estate Agents; and Narrandera Bowling & Recreation Club

Rural Adversity Mental Health Program - RAMHP Murrumbidgee Local Health District Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network Riverina Local Land Services

Rural Financial Counselling Service and Bendigo Bank Narrandera presents Just a Farmer - Friday 10th July 2026 at Narrandera Bowling Club, Narrandera NSW

24/06/2026

What do a second-hand shipping container, a hardware store and your own seed get you?

For Cootamundra farmer Ben Morton, fresh, green, nutrient-dense feed on tap, every day of the year, drought or no drought.

Ben recently opened his gates to a group of RFCS NSW Rural Financial Counsellors as part of our Southern Team Offsite - sharing practical, firsthand knowledge that our RFCs can carry back to the farming clients they support.

It's a great example of the kind of scalable, drought-preparedness thinking we love to see. And the kind of budget-smart innovation worth sharing.

👉 Read the full story www.rfcsnsw.org.au/news. Watch more -NSW on YouTube 🎥

Southern NSW Innovation Hub Riverina Local Land Services

24/06/2026

The NSW Budget 2026–27 is out - here's what it means for farmers and rural communities across southern and central NSW.

Some of the key announcements worth noting:
🚙$100 registration discount for all vehicle owners
💰 Discounts and no-interest loans for home energy saving technology
🔬 More than $200m for ag R&D and biosecurity
🏥 Nearly $3 billion for regional hospitals and health facilities
🚑 $71.7 million to help patients cover the cost of travelling for specialist care
🛣️ $910.9 million to repair roads damaged by natural disasters
✈️ $10.5 million will upgrade Western NSW airports

We've put together a summary covering agriculture, health, roads, education, emergency services and more.

👉 https://rfcsnsw.org.au/news/nsw-budget-analysis-2026-2027

23/06/2026

Got behind on the planning side of the farm business? Wish you had some tools to help make it easier?

If yes, then the upcoming free Farm Smart workshops in Griffith and Orange are not to be missed.

After 90 minutes, you’ll walk away with practical tools to:
✔ Develop or refine your farm business plan
✔ Assess your risk profile and appetite
✔ Complete a Farm Business Checklist
✔ Identify risk mitigation strategies
✔ Improve bank readiness

Don’t miss this opportunity to get ahead with your planning and leave feeling confident. While enjoying the company of other farmers and a free feed.

Griffith and Orange are the final workshops being delivered by RFCS NSW, in partnership with NSW Farmers – this is your last chance to participate.

📅 Tuesday (30 June)
📍Griffith Exies Club | Orange Waratah Sports Club
🕠 5:30pm – 7:00pm

👉 https://collections.humanitix.com/farmbusinessresilienceprogram2026

NSW Farmers Riverina Local Land Services Central West Local Land Services

22/06/2026

Tax time – want to get the most out of your accountant appointment?

It's worth going in with more than just your paperwork. Here's a quick checklist to help you hit the ground running:

✅ Know your numbers - income, expenses, debt and assets
✅ Update your cash flow forecast
✅ Get your documents together - asset purchases and sales, loan docs, government grants or payments, previous tax returns, P&L statements, livestock reconciliation
✅ Have your goals clear - expansion, restructure, succession?
✅ Come with questions ready

Good questions to raise:
💬 How can Farm Management Deposits work for your situation this year?
💬 If you've sold livestock due to drought, fire or flood - is a deferred income tax ruling on the table?
💬 Is your trust structure still the right fit?

RFC Scott Boyle also shares some tips when it comes to discussing tax deductions.

While not tax advisers, your local RFC can help you think through your financial position before your appointment – simply call to book a free and confidential appointment 📞1800 319 458 | or find your local RFC at www.rfcsnsw.org.au

22/06/2026

🦪 Two days to go - if you haven't registered for the Farm Smart Oyster Focus Workshop in Merimbula yet, hurry so you don’t miss out.

The free workshop, taking place this Thursday, is designed specifically for South Coast oyster farmers - everything is grounded in the realities of your lease and your industry.

📍 Merimbula — 25 June, Club Sapphire, 4:00pm–5:30pm

Make the most of this opportunity, resources and professional guidance to get ahead of planning for your business

👉 Register now collections.humanitix.com/farm-smart-oyster-focus-program2026

Delivered by NSW Farmers as part of the Farm Business Resilience Program, jointly funded by the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund and the NSW Government. In partnership with DPIRD Aquaculture, OceanWatch Australia and the Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW.

Bega Valley Shire South East Local Land Services Australia's Oyster Coast Sapphire Coast Oysters Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters

19/06/2026

We made this reel from photos our own team have taken on their travels - from paddocks across inland southern and central NSW, all the way down to the coast - and we reckon it says everything about why we love this work.

Just folk with a phone, paying attention to the world around them. Because here's the thing: your photo doesn't need to be picture perfect.

We want pet lambs and working dogs. Machinery at harvest. The view from the header cab. A mob of sheep on the move. Harvesting produce or oysters. Whatever says 'this is my patch' - that's what we're after.

40 Years, 40 Properties is our way of marking four decades alongside farming families across central and southern NSW. We want 40 photos from 40 properties, and yours deserves to be one of them.

Help us mark this milestone:
📸 Tag us using and
📧 Email your photo to [email protected]
📣Spread the word

18/06/2026

Ever wondered what a day in the life of a Rural Financial Counsellor actually looks like? ☕📋🚗

While much of an RFC's work involves direct, one-on-one support for farming clients, a significant part of the role is outreach - building relationships across the broader rural community. Even our CEO Craig Hough is already deep into his day by the time he sneaks off for his coffee fix at head office in Wagga Wagga. Everyone's got their priorities.

This week, southern NSW counsellors Scott Boyle and Rhianna Cameron hit the road to meet with local accountants, exploring how the two professions can work together to give farming clients the best support from every angle.

Because sometimes the best way to help a farming family is by strengthening the network of people already in their corner.

It's outreach, it's relationship-building, and yes, there was a pretty good platter involved too. 🍪

Free. Confidential. Professional. That's what our RFCs bring to every conversation, whether it's at a kitchen table or in a boardroom. Find out how an RFC could help your farm business 👉 1800 319 458 | www.rfcsnsw.org.au

17/06/2026

Between stock, the forecast, costs and everything else, a workshop probably isn't top of your list right now.

But the Stronger Farms Workshop in Molong is built for exactly that moment. In half a day, local experts will cover seasonal and market conditions, risk management, gross margins, cash flow and decision trigger points giving you the tools to make better decisions, faster.

You'll leave with: ✅ A clear way to read and use livestock gross margins for your own enterprise ✅ Confidence to run 'what-if' scenarios across price, production and cost changes ✅ Cash flow strategies for tighter months, and better conversations with your lender ✅ A draft set of decision trigger points tailored to your business

It's free, lunch and morning tea are included, and you'll be back on-farm by early afternoon.

Local rural financial counsellor Danielle Davenport will also be there - a great chance to say hello and find out how RFCS NSW can support you further.

📅 Date: Thursday 25 June 🕙 Time: 10:00 am – 2:30 pm 📍 Location: Molong RSL Club💰 Cost: Free

Speakers: Phil Cranney (SLSO Pastures, Local Land Services Agency) and James Barnet (Puregrow)

👉 Register: https://events.humanitix.com/stronger-farms-workshop-molong

Questions? Contact Jane Atkinson, NSW Farm Business Resilience Program: [email protected] or 0438 963 746.

Central West Local Land Services

17/06/2026

🦪 Merimbula oyster farmers - a reminder that the free Farm Smart Oyster Focus workshop is coming up next week.

These sessions have been built specifically for NSW oyster farmers - the tools, the conversations, and the planning all reflect what it's actually like to run a lease.

Walk away with a farm business plan you've started on the day, your completed Farm Business Checklist, and practical steps you can use straight away.

Merimbula - Thursday 25 June 📍 Club Sapphire 🕓 4:00pm – 5:30pm

Spots at each location are limited - don't leave it too long.

NSW Farmers OceanWatch Australia Bega Valley Shire South East Local Land Services Australia's Oyster Coast Sapphire Coast Oysters Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters

https://collections.humanitix.com/farm-smart-oyster-focus-program2026