Farms queue up for 'Farmy Army' help in wake of flood

Sunday, 9 February 2020

Farmy Army volunteers help with the clean up of Southland farms following flooding in the province.

More than 50 farms have been registered for 'Farmy Army' help as the enormity of the flood clean up in Southland comes to light.

Southland Federated Farmers has formed the Farmy Army volunteer group to help Southland farmers with the clean up.

Many fences on Southland farms throughout Southland have been left with debris following the flooding.

To date more than 50 farms have been registered for help, although some of those farms are not yet ready to be cleaned up as large amounts of water still sit on the land.

On top of the Farmy Army work, Southland Federated Farmers officials say many other people throughout Southland have also rolled their sleeves up top help.

* Southland farming family cut off by floodwaters

* Whitebait proposal could place temporary bans on Southland rivers**

Federated Farmers Southland vice president Bernadette Hunt said about 50 people aged from 10 through to 80 were on hand to help on Saturday, and on Sunday that number increased to over 100.

The bulk of the work was clearing debris from fences.

Federated Farmers Southland officials have encouraged farmers to ask for help rather than stay quiet and be daunted by what damage the floods had caused.

While Hunt said it was encouraging to see so many people put their hands up to help during the weekend, she added they needed many more volunteers given the share size of the clean up.

The Farmy Army group would continue to work on Monday and Tuesday, before taking a break from Wednesday through to Friday to allow everybody to attend the Southern Field Days.

The work would continue at the weekend, with Hunt conceding the clean up could take weeks for farmers.

Volunteers could register to help on the Federated Farmers Facebook page.

Meanwhile, many Southland whitebaiters are nervously waiting to find out the extent of the damage to their huts and stands following flooding in the province.

Southland Recreational Whitebaiters Association president Roger McNaughton was unsure just what the extent of the damage to huts and stands had been caused as a result of the flood.

Although he acknowledged it was a real concern with whitebaiters.

He thought whitebait stands and huts on the lower Mataura River could be the worst hit, but that would be better assessed in the coming days.

'[It's been hard] to get down for a look,' McNaughton said.

'They normally can stand a bit but this was quite major. A lot depends on what debris comes down the river, bailage or logs, things like that.'

The expected damage comes at a time when those involved in one of Southland's favorite past-times feel under pressure as a result of a Government discussion document.

In the Improving Whitebait Management discussion document the proposals include shortening the whitebait season, prohibiting fishing from some rivers for a set period of time and phasing out fishing equipment including sock nets, trap nets and screens.