Project Planet seeks to connect those who want to make contributions to bushfire relief efforts with organisations that need them.

Other front-line bushfire relief organisations hope it will drive up volunteer numbers and monetary contributions.

Co-founder Teagan Lerm says giving clear pathways to take action will help young people.

During the Black Summer bushfires, Teagan Lerm watched on as her family and friends near Coffs Harbour fought fires on their properties or were forced to evacuate, and lost their homes.

As a young person, watching news reports like this from afar left her feeling "helpless" and "terrified", but it also inspired her to take action.

About three years ago, Ms Lerm and her friend Lizzie Hedding launched their charity organisation, Project Planet, with the main purpose of creating and collating online resources that helped explain climate change-related issues.

"Both of us recognised that we wanted to take action, but we couldn't really find a resource that could tell us what to do, or where to donate," Ms Lerm said.

The most recent addition to Project Planet is a "one-stop shop" where people can find all the organisations working on bushfire relief efforts and easily access and donate to them.

At all-in.org.au, people can find links to everything from the Australian Red Cross and Salvation Army, to the VFF Disaster Relief Fund and the wildlife emergency response team, WIRES.

"This 'all-In' resource that we've created for this bushfire season, we will adapt as more natural disasters hit to meet the needs of the current moment," she said.

Ms Lerm said the organisation aimed to create "simple and easy to understand" online resources aimed particularly at young people by primarily posting on social media.

"The vast majority of our audience are Gen Z and millennials, who most likely use social media to get their news and their information," she said.

"There are so many people who want to take action just like we did back in 2019-2020, but they're overwhelmed by the suite of information that's available to them.

"People end up disconnecting due to that overwhelm, and that's why we exist — to bring together that information and make it really clear for people what the problem is, how to take action, and how to stay engaged in the long term."

Blaze Aid started on the back of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and is one of the organisations listed in the online resource.

Volunteers with Blaze Aid primarily help farmers and families living on rural properties in the wake of major disasters by repairing fences and replenishing supplies.

"I just think it's a fantastic idea and a fantastic initiative," Blaze Aid chief executive Melissa Jones said.

"We're so grateful to have any backing at all from other organisations, and we do try and collaborate with everyone because our goal is obviously to help as many people as we can."

As bushfires and other disasters continue to hit across the country, Ms Jones hoped that platforms such as Project Planet would encourage more people to get involved in relief efforts through donating their time or money.

"That's so valuable to us at the moment … every dollar counts," she said.

A national survey of more than 3,000 young people by mental health provider Headspace in 2023 revealed 53 per cent felt fearful of the future due to the effects of climate change.

Ms Lerm said it was important to give young people a platform to help them deal with those feelings positively.

"I feel so proud to be able to create resources that help young people like myself understand what is happening, and also give them the pathways to take action," Ms Lerm said.

"Taking action does really help alleviate those feelings of anxiety that young people are feeling."

Australian farmers are heading into the new week with one eye on the paddock and the other on the broader economy.

Recent inflation data has lifted expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia could raise the cash rate again at its upcoming meeting. While no decision has been made yet, the possibility alone is already influencing how producers think about borrowing, cashflow and the timing of major purchases.

Across the country, seasonal conditions remain mixed. Parts of the eastern states have benefited from recent rainfall, supporting pasture growth and late-season crops, while other regions continue to manage dry conditions and tighter feed budgets. In response, some livestock producers are adjusting stocking levels, while many cropping farmers are choosing to hold grain on-farm rather than sell into currently flat markets.

Despite these pressures, overall sentiment across agriculture remains steady. Many Australian farmers are still planning equipment upgrades, transport replacements, and infrastructure improvements — but with a sharper focus on cost control and flexibility.

With interest rates potentially moving higher, how those investments are structured is becoming just as important as what gets purchased. Asset-based finance that aligns with seasonal income can help reduce pressure on working capital, particularly during planting and harvest windows.

That’s where Pay In Time Finance works quietly in the background — supporting farmers with machinery, vehicle, and equipment finance structured around real farm cashflow, not rigid bank models.

As rates, weather, and markets continue to shift, the producers who stay adaptable and well-prepared will be best placed to navigate the season ahead.

Australian agribusinesses remain well-positioned amid geopolitical uncertainty. They are expected to navigate 2026 as they did in 2025. Agri exports should continue their strong performance, while domestic consumer confidence faces renewed pressure due to limited interest‑rate cuts. Livestock product prices are forecast to hold up well, whereas grain prices are likely to stay subdued given abundant global supply and growing inventories.

Major agricultural sectors enter 2026 from a position of strength. The recently harvested grain crop was the second largest on record, around 10% above last year's and meat exports, including beef and sheep meat, remain resilient despite geopolitical tensions and tariffs.

The RaboResearch Australia Commodity Price Index is forecast to remain near its strong five‑year average. Agri commodity prices are forecast to diverge in 2026. Prices for grains, oilseeds, pulses, cotton and sugar face continued pressure, while meat and wool are expected to perform well. Soil moisture remains insufficient across much of the country except northern Australia, making timely rainfall critical for grain planting and pasture growth in those drier areas of the country. The Bureau of Meteorology's outlook through May calls for near- to below-normal rains, except for in the north.

Fertiliser and crop protection prices are expected to remain rangebound but elevated. While still above pre‑Covid 19 levels, prices may be contained by tight global grain production margins that slightly reduce demand. However, geopolitical developments continue to pose upside risks. Energy markets look oversupplied, but diesel costs are expected to remain elevated. Crude oil prices may trade below USD 60/bbl in 2026, although geopolitical risk remains a major wild card. Diesel is expected to stay comparatively expensive both globally and in Australia, which relies heavily on imports. Interest rate cuts appear less likely, with markets even pricing in possible increases. 

Sticky inflation remains a challenge and has limited prospects for further RBA rate reductions. RaboResearch still sees the chance of one more rate cut, but many other analysts and the market call for potential rate hikes. The global economic outlook for 2026 is somewhat subdued, with GDP growth slowing in the US, China and the eurozone compared with last year's. Australia may be an exception, with RaboResearch forecasting a modest improvement to 2.3% in 2026 (up from 1.9% in 2025). The Australian dollar has recently strengthened and is expected to stay stronger in 2026 than last year, supporting import purchasing power but softening export returns in Australian dollar terms. Geopolitics and shipping remain major areas of concern. With US President Trump not slowing down, entering the second year of his second term, further geopolitical surprises are likely.

Commodity markets, from energy to fertilisers to agri goods, may feel the effects. Australia benefited from strong US demand for beef in 2025 despite tariffs, but with most tariffs now removed, South American competition in the US market may intensify. Meanwhile, China's newly introduced beef import quotas present additional challenges for Australian and Brazilian exporters. Tariffs continue to be used actively by key trading partners, even as some trade agreements progress, most notably the EU‑Mercosur deal, while others, such as the EU‑Australia Free Trade Agreement, remain distant. Military actions and threats, including Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and new US military signals, add further uncertainty.

Thanks, SV/AB

A long-awaited recovery in the farm sector appears to be in sight, as AGCO Corp., one of the world’s biggest agriculture equipment makers, predicts an increase in sales for the first time in three years in 2026. 

The manufacturer of Massey Ferguson and Fendt tractors estimated net sales just above last year, according to a Thursday statement. While the sale of new machines is set to remain sluggish, growers need to update soon and are increasingly retrofitting existing equipment with artificial-intelligence-packed components that help them plant, treat, and harvest fields more precisely. 

“The future looks brighter,” Chief Executive Officer Eric Hansotia said on a call with investors. “Two thousand and twenty-five was the bottom of the trough, and the fleets in our major markets are at the peak of their age.”

Shares rose as much as 5.6%, the highest in two years, before later falling.

The optimism also comes after data earlier this week showed plummeting sentiment among farmers as disrupted soybean exports limit cash flows. President Donald Trump raised hopes Wednesday when he said China was considering buying more than an initial 12 million tons of US soybeans. However, even if China bought additional cargoes, targeted volumes would likely still be below recent years. 

Meanwhile, a tranche of $12 billion in aid to US farmers has yet to translate to sales for AGCO, Chief Financial Officer Damon Audia said on the call. 

For 2026, net sales could rise to between $10.4 billion and $10.7 billion, AGCO said. That’s above a Bloomberg estimate of $10.07 billion and surpasses sales in the year ended Dec. 31 of $10.08 billion.

Fourth-quarter earnings also topped analyst estimates. “AGCO delivered a strong top- and bottom-line beat to finish 2025,” Oppenheimer analyst Kristen Owen said in a note.

The company kicked off the earnings cycle ahead of bigger rivals Deere & Co. and CNH Industrial NV, which are expected to report in the weeks ahead. 

Hansotia said AGCO is expanding its market share with the help of its precision-agriculture PTx brand as well as its higher-end Fendt line of machines. Having parts that work on different equipment brands “remains an absolute clear differentiator,” he said.

Australian cattle farmers have been dealt a blow after China announced it would cap beef imports to better protect its own producers.

COVID-era trade ruptures with China had been seemingly repaired in recent years, but 2026 brings fresh frustrations for the beef industry.

"So we have a billion dollars worth of beef that will need to go to other markets," Cattle Australia chair Garry Edwards said.

Since yesterday, China has been slapping limits on beef imports from overseas. Anything exceeding the cap will be hit with a 55 per cent tax rate, with the aim of China to protect its own domestic production.

"The large volume of beef that's been redirected from the American market into China has gone in there at very low prices, and that's had a direct impact on Chinese beef producers," Edwards said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was in talks with China over the new tariffs. "This is something that wasn't Australia being singled out. This is a general position that China has put," Albanese said.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the Albanese government should have been able to stop the tariffs from impacting Australian farmers.

"Australia should not be included in any of these arrangements when it comes to restrictions," she said.

Nationals leader David Littleproud called on Albanese and Trade Minister Don Farrell to "make urgent representations to their counterparts in Beijing".

The unexpected upside for Australian consumers is the possibility that more beef not being sold offshore will result in a surplus that needs to be sold domestically, which could cause prices to be cut.

"We may see a reduction in domestic beef prices as a result, because you'll see more high-quality beef available within the domestic market," Edwards said.

Despite the government's talks with China, Albanese says other countries may just get more Australian beef.

"Our products are in great demand right around the world. We expect that will continue to be so," Albanese said.

This week, our team is migrating from Microsoft to Google. Just as well, because we’ve probably put it off for some time. 

Overall, the migration itself has been mildly annoying and only slightly disruptive. What was useful was what it forced us to look at. How work actually moves day to day and where things live. That exercise alone made it worth doing.

We see the same pattern across many of the businesses we work with, especially once the team grows past two or three people.

Very few businesses deliberately choose a workspace. Email gets set up early. Files land wherever they land. A bookkeeper creates folders. Over time, that becomes the way things are done.

It works while everyone knows everything. As the business grows, that shared understanding fades, but the setup stays the same.

Over time, small things begin to take more effort. Even finding the right file or working out which version is current takes longer than it should. 

This is usually when people start weighing up Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Then they pause. Because migration interrupts work. There is never a perfect window. So teams keep what they have and work around it.

That choice keeps things running, but it also means the same small issues repeat.

Both platforms are solid. What matters is fit.

When teams move platforms, the frustration rarely comes from the software itself. It comes from noticing how much work has been held together by habit and memory. People realise they have been relying on knowing who usually has the file, where things were last saved, or how a task is normally handled, rather than having any shared agreement. A platform change has a way of bringing those gaps into view. 

Think about what would happen if someone on your team left tomorrow. Or if you brought someone new in. Or if you stepped away for a week and were genuinely unreachable. In businesses where the setup is carrying its share of the load, work keeps moving with only minor bumps. In businesses where everything lives in people’s heads, momentum slows quickly, and questions pile up. That difference usually comes down to how clearly work is organised, not how hard anyone is trying.

At RD Creative Studio, this is often where we come in. We’re not a tech company. But we tend to get involved when businesses feel heavier to run than they should. Sometimes the answer is a migration. Sometimes it’s simply tightening what already exists.

If this has been on your radar, happy to talk it through and sense-check whether anything actually needs to change. Reach out to RD today.

G'day,

Welcome to the first newsletter for 2026. I hope you managed a decent break with family and friends - even though the festive season already feels a long time ago!

As always, summer in this great land brings its challenges. Flooding, drought and bushfires have impacted many regions around Australia.

RFTTE member Jim Wright has been near the fires in the Hindmarsh Valley on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula. The photo above is of his son Wylie, who just turned one this week - love the boots mate... and the RFTTE hat! We’re hoping fires are now well under control in the area.

Now, it’s back to work...some of you may have noticed we revamped RFTTEJOBS.com in the back half of last year. The new site makes it much easier for job seekers to find and apply for roles, while employers now have a dashboard to review applications and get basic analytics on their jobs.

It’s also more than just a job board. Our blog shares career advice, hiring tips and stories from life on the land - worth a look if you haven’t had a gander yet.

As always, this newsletter will bring you the latest jobs, blog stories and industry updates. With mustering season approaching, stations are locking in staff and feedlots are flat out - so plenty is happening on the jobs front.

Wishing you a successful and safe 2026, thanks for being part of the RFTTE community... look after yourselves and each other...

Link to newsletter: https://rfttejobs.news/6Feb

Hooroo for now,
Simon Cheatham
Founder RFTTE - The Online Campfire | E: [email protected] or reply to this newsletter | Subscribe to this newsletter | The RFTTE Story | RFTTE MERCH 
0417 277 488 | RFTTE PTY LTD | ABN 29 678 593 283

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