Raglan farmers have helped provide some relief to those stricken by the recent floods in Edgecumbe.
PGG Wrightson Real Estate agent Richard Thomson says a truck and trailer full of hay was last week delivered to farmers most in need after the swollen Rangataiki River submerged the township and surrounding rural areas.
Many paddocks were completely underwater and Federated Farmers helped to move more than 3500 off farms, with stock also moved privately.
Farmers face a hard winter because feed, usually grown in winter, was lost in the floods. Remedial work has to be done to pastures that were underwater for days and supplementary feed supplies have also been destroyed.
Richard says he was telling Rod and Bobbi Shields, the owners of Mangatawhiri Rd property he is selling, about the hardships his farmer friend in Edgecumbe is facing and they straight away offered up 18 round bails to help out.
A truck and trailer fits 44 round bales so Richard did a ring around of farmers he knows, and Wally Hawkins, Roger Peart and Martin Koning who all donated to the worthy cause.
Richard, who was a farmer himself for 20 years, organised the truck, loaded it up and paid for the transportation.
“I want to thank the generosity of these guys,” he says of the Raglan farmers who gave hay.
He says the hay was sent to his mate, David Prout, who lost half his fields in the flood, to allocate it to those most in need.
“Half of David’s farm was submerged – he lost half of his fields. About 30 farms were seriously affected.”
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