Tas farmers count cost of floods

Up to 80 Tasmanian dairy farms have been impacted with the worst hit area in the Mersey River catchment, where one farmer lost up to 200 cows, while another's dairy was wrecked by fast-moving floodwaters.

DairyTas executive director Mark Smith said about 20-40 dairy farms had suffered reasonably severe damage, while a similar number had been affected by flooding but the damage was more manageable.

But it was is still early days and Dairy Tas was still trying to assess full picture.

Dairy farms in the Meander, Mersey, Flowerdale, Latrobe, Gunns Plains and Ouse areas had been affected, he said.

However, milk tankers had been able to get through to most farms, with only a couple of herds unable to be milked for more than 24 hours.

Merseylea, Tas, dairy farmer Paul Lambert said the Mersey River, which ran through his property, came up fast on Sunday night after more than 200 millimetres of rain.

"People were trying to get their cattle onto high ground in the dark but no one could get all their cattle out safely," he said.

About 700 cows from different farms in the district were swept down the river.

Fast-moving flood water, containing debris such as logs, swept through Mr Lambert's farm.

"Our farm is a disaster," he said.

"Silage, hay barns, houses and the dairy all have had floodwater and stuff pushed through it.

"Fences, pump sheds, power poles have fallen over; silage wagons have been washed away.

"There's stuff strewn from here to Devonport."

Mr Lambert said he had lost about 30-50 cows.

He said his family had farmed there for more than 100 years and had not seen flooding like this before.

The dairy was badly damaged and was now inoperable, forcing Mr Lambert to dry off his 550-cow herd, which had been due to be dried off at the end of the month.

He estimates the lost milk production has cost his farm $80,000.

His said his first priority was to assess the damage, then to get the dairy back up and running.

The Bloomfield family, also at Merseylea, has lost 180-200 cows from its 500-cow herd.

"It is just devastating, losing the cows that we have lost," Taniel Bloomfield said.

"It's an absolute mess on the farm.

"You've lost your cows, you've lost your production, you've lost the calves of the ones that were in calf."

Mrs Bloomfield said the lost cows were milkers with their dry stock and young stock kept on other farms.

The flood level exceeded previous high water marks on the farm.

"We haven't had anything like this before," Mrs Bloomfield said.

Her husband Luke had prepared for the flood, moving stock and pumps to higher ground, but it was not enough.

"You can prepare for a flood, but something like this, you can't prepare for it," Mrs Bloomfield said.

The Bloomfield dairy was not flooded and they were able to keep milking through the use of a generator.

But they were facing issues getting pumps dry and power poles back up so they could pump water to the dairy to clean the vat and plant and to provide water to troughs for stock.

They had been inundated with offers of help from friends and family, but were still trying to get a clear picture of the extent of the damage.

"You can't begin to add up the cost - not just the lost cows, but the lost breeding, the lost production," Mrs Bloomfield said.

Mr Smith said most farms in the Meander area had been damaged but this was mostly restricted to fencing and pumps with no reports of stock losses or other farm infrastructure in that area.

Ouse, Tas, dairyfarmer Grant Rogers had about half his farm under water and had lost pumps and fences but everything else was okay, Mr Smith said.

He said field supply officers at milk companies were helping farmers work through flood issues and providing information about where they could get assistance.

The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) is working with the State Government to get a better idea of the damage that the floods are having on farms across the State.

This information will assist the government make an assessment on types of assistance they could provide.

The TFGA is seeking information on the impacts, including estimated dollar value, the flood is having on their farm, including fencing/laneway damage, stock losses, building damage and crop damage.

Farmers are asked to email reception@tfga.com.au or phone (03) 6332 1800 and if possible capture video footage of the damage.

A Rural Relief Fund, which is coordinated by Rural Business Tasmania, is collecting donations via website http://www.ruralbusinesstasmania.org.au/Relief-Fund, phone 1300 88 3276 or at any ANZ branch.

A south-western Victorian dairyfarmer has set up a crowdfunding campaign to help Tasmanian dairy producers, hit by floods.

Fleyas Holsteins Jessa Fleming said the unprecedented floods, which had hit Tasmania in the last few days, had resulted in heartbreaking stories of farmers who had lost cows.

“Those cows that survive will need urgent veterinary care,” Ms Fleming said.

She said she had set up a GoFundMe page to help farmers with veterinary and feed costs.

“A lot of farmers will have lost all their stored feed, and the floods and water will cause ongoing damage to grass growth,” Ms Fleming said.

“Insurance will cover a part of the replacement costs but will not be immediately available.”

Although Victorian dairyfarmers were doing it tough, Ms Fleming said the Tasmanian crisis “put it into perspective.”

“They have had the drought, they have had the fires and now a lot of them would be affected by the price crash – it’s just awful,” Ms Fleming said.

“It puts everything into perspective, while it’s hard for us, we are not missing half a herd of cows, down a flooded river.”

The GoFundMe site can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/286bqnpw.