A Shared Commitment
A community’s ability to lead its own recovery depends on its collective resilience — and RCA is here to strengthen it.
What We Do
At Rural Connect Ag (RCA), we are dedicated to supporting farmers impacted by natural disasters and adverse weather events. In these challenging times, we offer both hope and practical relief by providing direct support and building strong, genuine connections across rural Australia.
Through one-on-one conversations, we listen to farmers’ individual circumstances and provide practical support, from delivering feed-tested donated fodder through our Hay Runner Program, to coordinating recovery assistance. Our Recovery Officers are often the first point of contact for farmers, providing immediate fodder support and connecting them with recovery resources in the earliest stages of disaster response, until wider industry recovery services are fully activated.
We connect and collaborate with local organisations to strengthen community spirit and raise awareness of the services available. By working directly with farmers, we not only gain a deeper understanding of their needs but also provide reassurance and encouragement through meaningful interactions.
In addition, RCA partners with government and non-government organisations to host Recovery Connect Events, central hubs where farmers can access essential services, information, and recovery support by industry experts during the critical stages of their recovery journey.
Together, these efforts not only deliver immediate relief but also help strengthen the long-term resilience of rural communities.
RCA Hay Runner Program
To strengthen our direct, practical impact, RCA launched the Hay Runner Program; a dedicated initiative within our disaster recovery efforts focused on delivering feed-tested, donated fodder to primary producers affected by floods and other natural disasters. By providing farmers with individual feed test results, we enable them to make informed decisions about their livestock feeding programs, supporting not only immediate relief but also longer-term animal health and operational planning.
Because in recovery, suitability matters just as much as access: the right fodder can genuinely support livestock health and recovery, while fodder that doesn’t meet livestock needs can set farmers back even further. By providing quality fodder and handing over feed test results, RCA empowers farmers to make informed choices, ensuring every delivery is practical, effective, and a genuine match for their circumstances. RCA set the benchmark as the first initiative to provide feed test results directly to farmers, a standard we hope continues across the sector.
This farmer-first initiative ensures a coordinated hay runner component that prioritises quality, effectiveness, and efficiency in every delivery. It is an essential part of RCA’s broader recovery model: meeting urgent needs in the early response stage while also strengthening long-term resilience and recovery across disaster-impacted rural communities.
Early response is at the core of this program. In these stages, before a region is officially declared, there is a critical window of time where we need to act and respond by delivering 100% donated fodder. Our transport partners also donate their trucks, drivers, fuel, and time. This dedication shows the genuine commitment of communities coming together to get hay into disaster-affected areas straight away.
From experience, we know that small bales delivered by boat to flood mounds can be vital to livestock survival and farmer recovery. In the Northern Rivers floods of 2022, and again during the more recent MidCoast and Northern Rivers floods, this early action proved critical giving livestock the best possible chance to pull through until roads reopened.
As the water receded, our Recovery Officers had already mapped out central delivery points, enabling us to move quickly into affected areas with larger fodder allocations. It takes careful planning, but through years of learnings and experience, RCA continues to refine this process to deliver better outcomes for farmers.
We’ve listened, and we’ve acted.
Where possible, RCA also reinvests into disaster-affected communities by purchasing fodder from local hay growers in regions that were previously disaster-impacted and have since recovered (since 2022). This supports local businesses, strengthens regional economies, and helps farming communities move forward in their own recovery. At the same time, with national fodder shortages, we also source hay from other areas to make sure disaster-impacted farmers never go without. These practices have been shaped by years of experience and by listening closely to both hay growers and livestock producers. It’s about finding the right balance that works for everyone.
With the support of the Natural Disaster Donated Fodder Transport Subsidy, administered by the NSW Rural Assistance Authority, RCA is able to extend the reach of this program even further.
We sincerely acknowledge this assistance, which plays a vital role in enabling us to deliver essential fodder supplies to disaster-impacted primary producers. Through collaborative efforts like this, we can provide meaningful support to those navigating recovery and help strengthen resilience across our rural communities.
Recovery Connect Event
In alignment with the Hay Runner Program, RCA also hosts Recovery Connect Events, on-ground gatherings designed to provide farmers with direct access to recovery support experts, including government and non-government services as well as community partners.
These events act as a central hub for recovery, offering information, service connections, and practical assistance all in one place. By engaging face-to-face with agencies and programs during critical stages of recovery, farmers are supported not only with immediate relief but also with the tools and connections needed for long-term resilience.
A community’s capacity to lead its recovery depends on its collective resilience.
Recovery Connect Officers
Our priority is supporting farmers with fodder assistance, and often we are the first point of contact for disaster-impacted producers. Our team listens to understand individual circumstances and provides support that is practical, timely, and tailored to each situation.
While our priority is delivering fodder support, we also have the capacity to step in during the early response stage, before industry experts are fully activated to connect farmers with the available recovery services and resources. We make sure farmers are linked with all immediate, priority-based fodder support and provide contact details for other hay runner groups.
We believe that when you connect and collaborate, the outcome is always stronger for farming communities.
Supply Fodder
We provide quality donated feed tested hay sourced from reputable suppliers to ensure the best possible support for farmers and their livestock. It’s crucial to source top-quality hay because it plays a vital role in the recovery and overall health of livestock during difficult times. High-quality hay provides essential nutrition, helping to reduce recovery time and improve the well-being of impacted livestock. Where possible, we also prioritise sourcing fodder from local hay suppliers in impacted regions that have since recovered, helping to support their economy and encourage sustainable recovery in these communities.
Fundraise
Fundraising is essential to sustain RCA’s programs and ensure ongoing support for farmers.
Through community events, campaigns, and generous donations, we raise both awareness and resources to deliver practical relief, ensuring farmers have what they need during the toughest times.
Transport
At RCA, we have a dedicated transport team responsible for delivering donated hay to regions impacted by natural disasters. All of our drivers come from farming backgrounds, giving them a genuine understanding of the challenges producers face.
As many are often the first to encounter farmers in crisis, they are prepared to offer practical support and understanding, ensuring every delivery is not just about hay, but also about standing alongside farmers during difficult times.
Support Local Communities
We support local communities by partnering with local organisations to foster community spirit and raise awareness of the services available in the region. By collaborating with community groups, businesses, and local leaders, we help create a network of support that strengthens resilience and encourages collective action. Through fundraising events, community outreach, and joint initiatives, we aim to bring people together, boost local economies, and ensure that farmers and families in need have access to the essential services and resources available to them.
Connect With Farmers
Connecting one-on-one with farmers offers countless benefits, from gaining a deeper understanding of their circumstances to supporting their mental health and well-being through meaningful conversations. As a first point of contact, we provide immediate assistance with donated fodder and connect farmers to vital resources and tools from both government and non-government organisations. This support helps farmers access the help they need to recover and build back stronger, ensuring they have the resources to navigate tough times and plan for a more resilient future.
Key Stakeholder Relations
Collaborating with key stakeholders ensures farmers have access to the expert support they need for preparedness and recovery. By working with government agencies, councils, agricultural bodies, and NGOs, we help connect farmers to essential services, disaster relief programs, and recovery resources. These partnerships strengthen rural communities, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to face future challenges with confidence.
Through these collaborations, we work together to build more resilient farming communities across Australia.
Our Impact In Action
2022 – Northern Rivers Floods
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Feed For Friends, a grassroots, community-led volunteer team, formed to provide urgent fodder support and later evolved into what is now Rural Connect Ag (RCA).
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An early response model was activated out of necessity, coordinating relief when farmers needed it most.
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Delivered small bales by boat to flood mounds to keep livestock alive.
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Coordinated mapping of central delivery points as waters receded.
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1,200 hay runs coordinated, working alongside multiple charity hay runners.
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Supported by our early response team before charity hay runners arrived in the region, coordinating over 100 truckloads of fodder in those first critical stages.
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Delivered fodder and activated recovery service connections for 1,500+ primary producers and rural landholders.
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Founder coordinated hundreds of charity hay runners into impacted regions, facilitating one-on-one support with primary producers, identifying central delivery points, and mapping out logistics to ensure fair and effective distribution.
2025 – Northern Rivers & MidCoast Floods
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140+ farmers received early response fodder support 100% donated by RCA.
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120 hay runs delivered to 400+ farmers.
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Currently facilitating 200 hay runs into the Northern Rivers and MidCoast regions, ensuring ongoing support reaches farmers still recovering from recent flood events.
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Connected 480 referrals and connections to other hay runners, government and non-government services.
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Recovery Officers engaged early, guiding farmers through connections to essential services.
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Reinvested into Northern Rivers local hay growers who had recovered since 2022, supporting businesses, strengthening regional economies, and helping farming communities move forward in their own recovery.
Ongoing – Building Resilience
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Hay Runner Program refined through years of learnings.
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Continued focus on feed-tested, quality fodder to match farmer needs.
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By building relationships with industry experts, RCA strengthens local networks and creates a solid foundation of support for long-term recovery, while remaining primarily focused on the early response stage until industry experts are fully mobilised.
