About the program
The Federal Government’s On Farm Connectivity Program (OFCP), subsidies and rebates for growers investing in smart farming technology. The OFCP is part of a $656 million Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia and is designed to help primary producers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries extend connectivity across their properties and take advantage of connected machinery, sensors and monitoring equipment.
The program runs in rounds. Rounds 1 and 2 have already been delivered. Round 2 alone provided $18 million in rebates and was fully subscribed within about 4 days of opening. Round 3 is the next round, backed by $10 million announced in the 2026-27 Federal Budget.
Who's likely to be eligible
Final eligibility criteria for Round 3 haven’t been published yet. Based on previous rounds, producers have generally needed to:
cannot have received a rebate under Round 1 or Round 2 of the On-Farm Connectivity Program.
hold an ABN registered for primary production for at least 12 months
operate an eligible primary production activity – agriculture, forestry or fisheries
not be a hobby farmer
fall within a set annual income range from primary production
We’ll update this page once Round 3’s final eligibility criteria are confirmed.
How the process works
Producers can’t apply for the rebate directly – the program works through Approved Suppliers of eligible equipment. In broad terms, the process looks like this:
The supplier applies on the producer’s behalf and confirms their eligibility.
Once approved, the producer purchases the eligible equipment, which the supplier delivers and installs.
The supplier claims the rebate, which is generally passed on as a reduced price to the producer.
It’s worth having a conversation with your equipment provider about what you’re after before the round opens, so you’re ready to move quickly once applications are live.
What you could get
Under previous rounds, eligible producers could claim a rebate of 50% of the purchase price of eligible equipment, up to a cap per producer. For Round 3, the Government has confirmed rebates will be capped at $20,000 (GST exclusive) per producer – the exact percentage and full terms will be set out in the official Round 3 guidelines.
One change flagged for Round 3: priority is expected to go to producers who haven’t received an OFCP rebate in a previous round.
Where Round 3 currently stands
Round 3 is not yet open for producer applications. Here’s the timeline so far:
Expressions of interest from equipment suppliers wanting to be approved under the program closed on 12 June 2026.
The Department is now assessing those applications and finalising the official Round 3 guidelines.
Producer applications are expected to open once approved suppliers are confirmed – the Government has indicated this is likely around mid-2026, though no firm date has been set.
This page will be updated as more detail is confirmed. For the latest official information, visit the Department of Infrastructure’s OFCP page.
