The Johnston family’s dairy at Taree after the floodwater receded.
Taree received one-third of its annual average rainfall over two days in May, leading to a one-in-500 years event and the region’s highest flood on record.
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The impact on the NSW mid-north coast community was devastating, with lives lost, hundreds of homes left uninhabitable, major stock losses, dairy plant and equipment left damaged or beyond repair, and fencing and feed washed away.
It impacted everyone in the community, including Saputo Dairy Australia’s NSW field services team based in Taree — Michelle Blakeney and Ray Johnston.
As field services manager, Michelle was dealing with floodwater rising at her own home, while trying to check-in and coordinate assistance for suppliers where required.
With communication infrastructure impacted and mobile phones out of action, that proved incredibly difficult — with some suppliers uncontactable at the height of the disaster.
Field services adviser, Ray, was also trying to check-in on suppliers and dealing with the reality that his 100-year-old home on his brothers’ (Milton and Douglas) dairy farm — along with their nearby dairy — were also going under water.
He safely evacuated to his sister’s house in town with most of his personal possessions, however, the house and dairy were completely flooded.
Ray Johnston captures the flood aftermath.
For more than three days, Ray and his brothers were unable to return to the property and were unaware if any of their herd had been lost.
On their return, they found some cows standing in water on a higher mound.
In the dairy, built after the last major flood in 2021, and with the electricals located above the previous flood level, the floodwater had left six to eight inches of silt on the platform and around two feet of mud in the pit.
With no power and no machinery able to come onto the property due to the mud, all they could do was grab a shovel and begin the clean-up.
“I remember removing the first shovel and thinking this is ridiculous,” Ray said.
“But eventually you do see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
For five days, the Johnstons were unable to milk until finally, a neighbour re-established power in his dairy, located on higher ground, enabling them to restart milking, albeit only once per day for several weeks.
Another issue was access to clean water on the Johnston farm, as the well water was contaminated while the irrigation pump was buried in mud.
Any crops sown prior to the flood were also washed away, along with fencing and power poles.
Once the floodwater subsided, suppliers across the impacted area were left to deal with the aftermath on their herds, including mastitis and high cell counts.
“When you think about what the cows have been through, it’s traumatic,” Ray said.
“They’ve been standing in floodwater and mud, their immunity is reduced, and their hooves are sore due to laneways being washed away.”
Saputo Dairy Australia’s field services team continues to work closely with impacted suppliers, providing assistance and support where it’s needed most, including expert advice on maintaining milk quality and access to Saputo’s supplier finance options.
“I’m incredibly proud of our farmers and the resilience they’ve shown,” Michelle said.
“We’re a close community and our local Saputo suppliers have really banded together to offer fodder and labour and help out where they can.”
One Saputo supplier based in the Hunter Valley has temporarily taken 40 of the Johnstons’ milking cows, while another is caring for 70 heifers.
“The boys were milking around 300 cows at time of the flood, so to receive such tremendous support from our fellow Saputo suppliers is great,” Ray said.
“Our SDA suppliers and the local community have really stood up when it counted most.”
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