Young Farmers Find a Way to Bounce Back After Floods

Article by: Hari Yellina

Farming in a flood zone carries dangers, but it doesn’t make it any simpler to recover after a disaster. What helps is when people who purchase the farmers’ produce join in to clean up the area. Micah Oberon, who owns a small plot farm in Oxley, south-east Queensland, with another grower Matt Bakker, stated, “It’s a fantastic feeling for us.” Mr Oberon explained, “It’s truly why we founded this farm, and the purpose we named it Neighbourhood Farm is because we really sought to develop that sense of a neighbourhood and community support.”

When the so-called “rain bomb” hit at the end of summer, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain across an already soaked south-east Queensland catchment, the young farming duo were right on the front lines. Mr Bakker added, “We definitely experienced a lot of rain over a few of days, and our farm sank under by around 3.5 metres.” “That gets us pretty close to the top of our greenhouses.” It’s all about timing, and this flood came just as the season was getting started. Mr Oberon stated, “We had finished planting out both greenhouses.” “We had seedling houses full of seedlings, and we’d been working on soil preparation for at least three months.” When roads turn into rivers, people scramble to preserve what they can.

When the so-called “rain bomb” hit at the end of summer, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain across an already soaked south-east Queensland catchment, the young farming duo were right on the front lines. Mr Bakker added, “We definitely experienced a lot of rain over a few of days, and our farm sank under by around 3.5 metres.” “That gets us pretty close to the top of our greenhouses.” It’s all about timing, and this flood came just as the season was getting started. Mr Oberon stated, “We had finished planting out both greenhouses.” “We had seedling houses full of seedlings, and we’d been working on soil preparation for at least three months.” When roads turn into rivers, people scramble to preserve what they can.

“People were giving us lunch and coffee because everyone was just here. After the flood, there was even a big dinner party up the block, so it was a really encouraging, heart-warming sensation. Mr Bakker explained, “One of our neighbours brought down a big firefighting pump.” “The amount of labour he was able to accomplish with that, just to clean everything up and remove the muck from all the greenhouses, was incredible. “Without that kind of help, I don’t think we’d be where we are now.” Support has come in numerous forms, ranging from physical labour to financial assistance.

Mr Oberon stated, “We established the GoFundMe campaign [and] achieved our goal for the money we needed to replace a lot of the equipment we lost within a few days.” “We’ve had bake sales conducted for us by the cafes where we used to sell products.” Some of Brisbane’s greatest chefs also stepped in, teaming together for a special flood relief fundraiser event. The event was organised by Adam Wolfers, executive chef of Gerard’s Bistro in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, and had ten cooks in one kitchen cooking up a feast. The event raised $60,000 to be split among five flood-affected farms, including Neighbourhood. “These particular farms we use every day throughout our cooking,” Mr Wolfers said.