Wholesale Nurseries' Road to Recovery

Ian and Michelle Hall operate a plant nursery at Piggabeen in the Tweed Shire.  Established over 40 years ago the family-owned nursery provides Cordylines and similar plants to the wholesale nursery industry across Australia.

Mr and Mrs Hall were impacted by the severe weather events of February 2021 and March 2022. Using the program’s principles of Listen, Learn and Link, DPI’s Rural Recovery Support Service provided customised support to Mr and Mrs Hall to help them return to production.

Recounting their story, our Recovery Officer learnt that both the creek and dam on their property flooded, flooding their plant storage area and potted plants. Damage was also caused to the downstream drainage channel.

When meeting with Mr and Mrs Hall to discuss the impact on their property and find out about their future business plans. It was identified that work was needed to improve long term safety and function of the property’s dam.

Mr and Mrs Hall were linked with the Rural Assistance Authority and encouraged to apply for the Special Disaster Grant, to assist with earth works to repair the dam.

Ian and Michelle were also linked to farm business coaching through DPI’s Farm Business Resilience Program; a program jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. This opportunity built their skills and knowledge to build resilience to future drought and adverse events.

Through discussing future plans for their business with our Recovery Officer, Mr Hall recognised the benefit of rebuilding the dam wall and spillway and undertaking more comprehensive repairs to the downstream water channel.

The Halls' involvement in the Farm Business Resilience Program's coaching initiative is set to bolster their business planning skills, equipping them with the tools to effectively manage and withstand the impacts of drought and other unexpected adverse occurrences.