Why going green isn’t simple for some farmers

Farmers are on the frontlines of the climate crisis -- but taking action can be costly and complex, writes Alessia Casella

When Sandra Jefford first started investing in solar power on her farm, it wasn’t because she had money to spare –– it was because she was scared.

She remembers back in 2016, looking at an interactive tool from the federal government that let users monitor future sea level rises.

“Depending on what level of sea rise you put in, you know, Sale, Maffra and Stratford would be underwater,” she says.

“I thought, 'Shit, this isn’t good'.”

Sandra Jefford stands at the heart of Wilandra Farms’ transition. Photo: Alessia Casella.

Jefford shared it with her teenage son, Luke. The next morning he came to her and said, “When are we going to sell?”

“Well, we’re not,” she told him. “Because we’re not going to keep moving.”

Jefford is not alone in realising that climate change isn’t stopping for farmers, with a 2023 survey revealing that 92 per cent of Australian farmers have observed increased climate-related impacts on their properties in the past three years.

But recognising the threat is only part of the challenge. The same survey, conducted by Farmers for Climate Action, also found that 56 per cent of farmers identified high upfront costs and limited access to capital as major barriers to adopting low-emission technology.

For many in Gippsland, making the shift has been anything but easy.

Alexis Killoran, an extension officer for Agriculture Victoria, says that economics is the bottom line for Gippsland farmers.

“If you go out of business, then there’s no point doing it,” she says.

“There’s the question of money and how much it costs to transition, and there’s the question of yes, but… what are the flow-on impacts for my business?”

Sandra Jefford and her husband Wilco Droppert own Wilandra Farms and have been certified organic producers of milk, silage and hay since 2020. The couple has introduced regenerative practices, protected local biodiversity and installed a major solar power project with the help of a grant from Agriculture Victoria’s Energy Investment Plan and Morwell-based company Alternate Energy Innovations.

Solar panels facing three directions have slashed costs at Wilandra Farms, Clydebank. Photo: Alessia Casella.

While the transition away from conventional power sources has brought them a payback of about seven years, Jefford says they have been lucky.

“We would not have done such a big solar project all in one go if we hadn’t had a big grant from the government,” Jefford says.

“We see the benefits, but it’s hard to find that money.”

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Australian farmers are among the least subsidised in the world.

In 2016–2018, just over 2 per cent of Australian farmer revenues were supported by government, compared to farmers in Norway, Iceland and Switzerland who receive over 50 per cent in subsidies.

For many Gippsland farmers, the lack of accessible financial support is one of the most stressful parts of trying to meet climate targets.

“If the big solar farms or wind turbine places are getting a subsidy, then everybody else should be able to get the same percentage subsidy,” Jefford says.

Three wind turbines complement Wilandra Farms’ energy system. Photo: Alessia Casella.

While government grants exist on paper, Cowwarr dairy farmer Jay Drew argues that securing one is a different story.

“You hear a lot about certain grants, and you read about grants,” he said. “But there’s always a limited amount of people that are allowed to go for it. You’re basically competing with other farms to try and prove that you can be more efficient.”

Even when farmers meet the criteria, Drew said the process is often “very convoluted” and time-consuming.

“We’ve spent weeks going through and applying for grants to no avail, where you don’t even get any information back to know why you never got it or why you didn’t even have a look in.”

As Drew explains it, regional farmers are increasingly frustrated by the “big disconnect” between policy design and on-the-ground realities.

“You need real-life data, and you need people that come from agriculture backgrounds to try and sort of navigate their way through, I believe.”

Darren McCubbin, the CEO of Gippsland Climate Change Network (GCCN), says the issue goes beyond financial limitations.

“One of the problems people don’t understand is that there is a degree of expertise needed to make some of these changes,” he says.

“You can’t just put it out in the newspaper and expect that everyone’s going to do it.”

McCubbin says that real change relies on personalised support.

“It actually needs one-on-one conversations. It needs some level of technical expertise to decide exactly what a farmer needs, and then assistance in rolling that out.”

In 2024, Sustainability Victoria found that 67 per cent of Gippslanders would like advice on how to be more energy efficient.

The local Agriculture Victoria branch offers some resources, including rebates through the Sustainable Irrigation Program, carbon calculators and support for irrigation design.

But according to Extension Officer Alexis Killoran, what’s lacking is long-running trials and demonstrations.

“Demonstrations that farmers can actually come and stand in the paddock really are the catalyst for going, yes, it can work on my farm,” she says.

A 2022 review by non-profit Soils for Life found that on-farm demonstrations and peer-to-peer learning are among the most trusted and effective ways to spread sustainable practices across Australian agriculture.

Kate Mirams, a dairy farmer in Newry whose vision is to foster thriving life on her property, shares a strong belief in the power of farmer-to-farmer mentoring.

“My favourite way to learn is to go on another farm and hear words from another farmer’s mouth about the trials and tribulations and inspirations,” she says.

“Because when you see it, you can’t unsee it and then you think this is possible.”

For Mirams, as much as the learning process is about gaining knowledge, it is also a “sociological project of bringing people together”.

“You generally engage a group of 10 to 20 like-minded people who also want to know the answer,” she said. “The curiosity and learning together really supports farmers in practising change.”

The general consensus among Gippsland farmers is that sustainable transformations won’t come from top-down policy alone; it needs to be driven from the ground up.

“They’ve got to see it, and feel it, and kind of know that it’s real,” Mirams says.

Still, for many Gippsland farmers, straying away from conventional practices that have sustained them for years can be emotionally and financially daunting.

“It’s kind of scary and dangerous to change your farm system in a big way that might impact your profitability and productivity,” Mirams says. “

"It’s taken us at least five years to transition, and that journey is fraught with oversteering and changing too quickly.”

According to Killoran, while some conservative farmers remain sceptical about climate adaptation, overall climate literacy has improved across the Gippsland region.

“There’s a lot more receptivity to that kind of forward business planning, climate change, drought-proofing conversation than there used to be,” she says.

Data from a 2017 Sustainability Victoria survey found that 49 per cent of Gippslanders interviewed believed climate change was caused by both human and natural processes. However, only 39 per cent of respondents felt strongly that urgent action was needed.

The study also found that nearly a third of interviewees were unconcerned about climate change.

While it is likely that some farmers may be more motivated by cost-cutting than environmental concerns, the result still contributes to climate resilience.

“You may put solar panels on because your energy bill is enormous, but that’s still a sustainable adoption,” Killoran said. “Your one change has multiple benefits.”

Dairy farmer Jay Drew agrees that staying ahead of the curve is often about protecting the bottom line.

“You don’t really want to play catch-up because that can come at a big cost to a business, especially if you’ve got to outlay a lot of money in a short period of time,” he says.

“I suppose you’re trying to stay ahead of certain government policies that may be coming your way, whether you agree with them or not.”

While the challenges of access, cost and culture remain steep in Gippsland, Sandra Jefford is living proof that it can be done — one paddock at a time.

“I would encourage somebody to just try one paddock. You know, try multi-species,” she said. “Once you start making change and you see some benefits, then it’s exciting and you go and learn more.”

For Jefford, transitioning away from conventional farming methods has evolved into something far more meaningful than a box-ticking exercise.

“It started out almost as an environmentally conscious thing, and now it’s also a passion.”