One year after a “horrible” flood swept through his northern New South Wales property, dairy farmer Peter Graham and his cows are still dealing with the aftermath.
“They don’t want to be milked,” he explained.
“It’s just taking a long time to get the cows back to where they were.”
The catastrophic event washed away hundreds of cows and many bales of fodder across the region.
Crops and pastures were destroyed, milk vats had to be discarded, and machinery, infrastructure, and homes were destroyed.
“It was pretty horrifying to see one and a half metres of water coming over the Richmond River… like a tidal wave,” Mr Graham said.
Cows leaving the dairy after having been milked.
Cows leaving Mr Graham’s Codrington farm’s dairy on a rainy afternoon a year after the floods.
Kim Honan (ABC Rural)
On his Codrington farm, his cattle had water almost up to their backs, while other farmers downstream had to watch their cattle being washed away.
“It’s been a long, slow, draining process to get back on track,” Mr Graham explained.
“I’m still on a very gravelly road; I’m not even close to the highway.”
Milk production is still low.
Mr Graham and his team worked tirelessly to control mastitis, treating up to 28 cows per day.
“I thought that was a lot, but it was nothing compared to others around me who were doing 90 or 100; some were treating their entire herd,” he explained.
Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder tissue that occurs frequently when a cow’s milking is interrupted, resulting in a reduction in the amount of milk produced.
“We were 34% of where we were [at the same time last year],” Mr Graham explained.
“And we thought it was serious, but the worst part is, we’re still at 50%.”
While the cows are no longer infected with mastitis, their milk production remains low, which could be due to stress.
Mr Graham stated that most dairy farmers he has spoken with in the region are still operating at 60% capacity.
He estimates that it will take another six months to return to pre-flood levels.
One step at a time
Darryl Kennedy and his daughter Amy Campbell were able to save all of their animals on their Dunbible property in the Tweed, but the flood has still had a significant impact on their business.
“We’ve been there for 65 years, and this is the worst flood we’ve ever had,” Mr Kennedy explained.
A man and woman dressed in blue shirts stand beneath a fig tree.
Darryl Kennedy and Amy Campbell estimate that rebuilding their herd to pre-flood levels will take four to five years.
Kim Honan (ABC Rural)
After their dairy was flooded, they were unable to milk their cows for 14 days.
“Then, when we started milking them, the machines weren’t working properly, and we had to tip that milk out on the ground,” Mr Kennedy explained.
Ms Campbell described the aftermath as emotional.
“I’m not sure which is worse: seeing the cows with all their mastitis experience or seeing the damage it’s done to my father — [and] having to go through that every day,” she said.
Paul Weir, a farmer in Tuncester, is used to floods, but the severity of this one has prompted him to consider leaving the industry.
“It didn’t seem right; it came and came, engulfing your assets,” he explained.
“It’s surreal to see the cows swimming away.”
He has decided to stay and raise his sheds on mounds to keep things out of reach after obtaining insurance.
A farm’s fence is lined with dead dairy cows.
When floodwaters inundated Paul Weir’s farm outside Lismore, he was devastated.
(Photo courtesy of Paul Weir)
The ice cream factory is still being rebuilt.
The dairy cooperative Norco, which has its headquarters, rural store, feed mill, and historic ice-cream factory in Lismore, plays an important role in the region’s dairy industry.
The factory, which employed 170 people, was severely flooded and is currently undergoing a major rebuild, which is expected to be completed by August.
Norco’s ice cream factory was flooded.
The floods in February inundated Norco’s ice cream factory. (Source: Norco)
They have elevated equipment, including electrical lines, by 15 metres in order to be above the next major flood.
In a factory, a man wears a white shirt and a black vest.
According to Michael Hampson, some farmers are still rebuilding.
Leah White (ABC North Coast)
Machines with new quick-release mechanisms will also be easier to move if a flood threatens.
According to Chief Executive Michael Hampson, the cooperative is attempting to assist its members in rebuilding their herds by providing interest-free loans that have been used to purchase 1,000 cows.
“It’s good to be able to provide them with additional means… to get through what was certainly the most difficult period that I’ve ever seen in the dairy industry,” he said.
