Sorghum crops have been washed away across more than 13 million hectares of western Queensland, as persistent floodwaters have caused catastrophic flooding across the region. On behalf of the federal government, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority approved $186.75 million in exceptional assistance to help with recovery efforts across the impacted regions. The tragedy is wide-ranging. Floodwaters washed away up to 40 centimeters of fertile topsoil, leaving paddocks bare and requiring farmers to deal with the years-long consequences of this natural disaster.
The flooding was the result of swift-moving water inundating riverside banks and flooding homes and businesses in rural Queensland. Relics of these infrastructure installations large tracks and scours now cut across the landscape. Heavy layers of mud and silt cover the paddocks, burying the last few signs of life underneath. The immediate aftermath has left many farmers unsure about the future of their land and very worried.
Long-Term Damage to Agriculture
According to local ag specialist, Geoff Penton, the flooding completely destroyed farmland and changed the landscape of the region. Finally, he sent his heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by the storms’ devastation. He cautioned that some regions could take as long as two decades to recover completely. Areas of western Queensland have been seeing a spectacular green boom after record rainfall. Other places remain ravaged, and they’re going to require many more growing seasons to heal.
“In some areas, it’s a great season and in other areas, it’s devastating, and they can be literally feet apart,” – Geoff Penton
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority is coordinating efforts between state and federal governments to ensure farmers receive the support they require for recovery. Penton further stressed the need for more upfront investment to enable speedier post-disaster recovery endeavors.
“What will help accelerate this is if we can secure some flood recovery investment from the state and federal government,” – Geoff Penton
Local Impact on Farms
The flooding took a major physical and economic toll on private homes and businesses. For example, the Quilpie property owned by Jon and Kerri Mooring was heavily damaged when the Bulloo River pierced their property. During the March floods, the river met a lake on their property for the first time in a decade, resulting in considerable soil erosion.
Jon Mooring’s back pasture Jon Mooring’s home and property. He described the rapid onset of flooding and how in a matter of hours, the whole landscape had changed around his house.
“When the two systems got together, it [the water] was rising nearly two feet an hour and the road of that went on for nearly four nights past our house,” – Jon Mooring
… too many farmers are hanging on by their fingertips. In some locations, deposits of silt have built up to depths of over 20 inches. Even as the immediate flood impacts linger, uncertainty today about the long term viability of agriculture there is pervasive.
Challenges Ahead for Environmental Recovery
Penton underscored that in the near term recovery efforts are directed at rebuilding farmland and livestock herds. He said, on the environmental side, recovery always lags far behind. With this, he explained that in many places topsoil was literally stripped from the ground thanks to the volume and speed of floodwaters.
“There’s many areas where the water, both the volume and the velocity, has stripped the topsoil off entirely,” – Geoff Penton
As local communities begin to gauge the full extent of this unprecedented damage. There will be tough sledding for all of them in the months ahead, and recovery will be long and painful. Continued, long-term investment from our state partners and the federal government is absolutely necessary to provide a sustainable future for America’s farmers in this unpredictable environment.
