Production ground to a halt for Bolwarra turf farmer Brent Redman after the flood.
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Water inundated the Buchanan Turf crops on Flat Road, destroyed five vehicles including a tractor, and scattered the neighbour’s round hay bales across his property.
“Unfortunately I was in Borneo for Anzac Day when all the excitement happened here,” Mr Redman said.
The speed at which the water rose caught out his workers, who were unable to move equipment to higher ground fast enough.
“While I was away it came up quite quickly,” Mr Redman said. “Quicker than the locals have ever seen.”
Because sections of the farm are so low water does not naturally drain away and would otherwise have to evaporate.
This meant Mr Redman had to pump the water off the farm at a tedious 100 millimetres a day even with a high-volume tractor-based pump.
Some turf varieties are more susceptible to inundation than others.
Twenty per cent of the crop will have to be resown.
“Luckily most of my crop will be OK,” he said.“But for other areas it will take 12 months before it’s ready to harvest again.”
Mr Redman only harvested his first turf since the storm on Tuesday this week.
“No one was hurt and it didn’t get into the house so I can’t complain,” he said.