DORRIGO cattle farmer Sue Francis recorded 732mm of rain in six days during the Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred rain event.

As the storm developed, Sue shared daily updates to her farm’s Facebook page, ‘Onward Murray Greys’.

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On Saturday, having received around 270mm in 24 hours, Sue highlighted some key issues faced by the region’s primary producers in extreme weather events.

“The cattle are so incredibly resilient, but they are far from comfortable,” she said.

“Unlike those on floodplains mine are in no danger of drowning (except by misadventure).

“Our high growth season of summer sees them in good condition.

“They are managed yearly to assure they put on ample body reserves (fat) for winter.

“Those reserves are however being called upon now.”

Sue said pasture nutrition levels had plummeted in the conditions.

“You see them (cattle) out grazing more than usual, their bodies attempting to keep up with the higher energy demands to keep warm and to compensate for the lesser pasture values.”

From a personal perspective, Sue noted that “helplessness and despondency” were beginning to creep in after days of the rain’s onslaught.

“Thinking of the issues of delays in annual, seasonal farm management (weaning, grass planting, sale animal selection and preparation) wakes you at night,” she said.

“Problems and methods to tackle the cleanup, paddock rejuvenation, cattle health and condition loss, fence repairs, tree cleanup keep you from sleep in the first place.”

By Monday, as conditions appeared to be somewhat easing, Sue encouraged readers to spare a thought for the region’s dairy farmers and their cows.

She said dairy producers had been “trudging through some pretty ordinary conditions, without fail, every day”.

“Cows still need to be milked, calves fed, pastures managed, electricity created when necessary.

“Let’s face it – work commitments that we beef farmers do not have to match.

“Imagine continuing those duties, without fail, to then have to open the pipe on the milk vat and let it run down the drain.”

As often happens in extreme weather, access to the Waterfall Way was impacted by landslips and tree falls during the rain event.

A fact that further exacerbated difficulties for dairy producers, Sue said.

“They can take days to clear away awaiting geo-engineering checks and all that other techy, red tape safety stuff.

“Once at the bottom of the hill, the road along the Bellingen River flats becomes impassable with flood water.

“Milk tankers simply cannot get through when the longer, more hazardous alternative route is also not an option.

“Milk cannot be stored on farm for longer than two days.

“Tens of thousands of litres of hard earned labour literally went down the drain across the plateau yesterday.”

On Tuesday, Sue told NOTA that it had stopped raining, and that while the sun was yet to appear, “the sting in Alfie’s tail was gone”.