Farmers for Climate Action held a workshop in Seymour on Monday, October 2, to educate landholders on effective ways to use renewable energy.
One of the speakers at the event was Russell Klose. He used to work with farmers in the electrification of farming equipment but now sells second-hand electric vehicles.
He said he had noticed a trend in the industry.
“It seems like you have to go to a really big-size farm these days to try and make it viable,” Mr Klose said.
Farmers for Climate Action general manager Georgia Webster said climate change had been a massive issue for farmers.
“Farmers are running a business, so anything they do has to be viable,” Ms Webster said.
“There are significant economic implications of inaction, as well as potentially the cost of action.”
Farmers for Climate Action aims to help farmers build a sustainable farming model, without the transition being too costly.
“You want your farm to be sustainable, and you also want to be able to make a profit,” Mr Klose said.
Ms Webster said Farmers for Climate Action wanted to see more incentives and opportunities in place to reduce the upfront cost of renewable energy on farms so that farmers could benefit from lower running costs.
Traditional farming methods use fossil fuels as a primary energy source, but burning these has significantly affected the climate by generating greenhouse gases.
Farmer Edward Kenyon said weather fluctuations had been a big struggle for him in the past year.
“It’s just [not] knowing what the weather’s going to do, what the climate’s going to do,” he said.
He came to the workshop without experience using electric farming equipment or vehicles but wanted to go electric.
He said he was excited to be able to try things such as pumping water using clean energy and replacing his fuel-powered bulldozer.
“It’s quite reasonably priced to pump water with solar [energy],” he said.
“I’ve got a bulldozer at the moment. It needs a lot of work. You won’t have to [deal with that] with an electric bulldozer.”
Ms Webster said farmers were on the front line of the effects of climate change.
“Temperature changes can affect production,” she said.
“There are a number of ways that Aussie producers are currently experiencing the effects of a changing climate.”
Farmers such as Andrew have experienced the first-hand effects of climate change.
Farmers for Climate Action said embracing renewable energy and storage solutions was one thing farmers could do to lower their power bills and increase their resilience in the face of a hotter climate.
“Overall, the health of our agricultural industry in Australia is related to a safe and stable climate as well,” Ms Webster said.