Untamed Earth Organic Farm lost about $250,000 of crops in the flooding which saturated Canterbury in early May.
Co-owner Penny Platt said their farm at Coes Ford was completely underwater and the deluge caused damage to their other sites.
The company grew organic crops on 60 hectares of land across several sites in the region, and now needed help to get back on their feet.
May’s damage was the worst she had seen in her 15 years in the business, Platt said.
“The water squishes all the oxygen out of the soil. So if it’s underwater for a little bit it’s okay but if you get more than a day or two the roots are starved from oxygen and they start dying off.
“So even if the plants survive they will die over time. Our carrots have all rotted in the ground; and our spinach yellowed off; and our broccoli is sort of heading up, but its thimble size rather than the nice big head of broccoli.”
The company was also unable to get insurance for crops, leaving them short of money for their spring planting, Platt said.
They hoped to raise $25,000 from the community.
The company ran on tight margins, like many vegetable growers, and did not have a big bank balance to draw on, making the loss of crops a real blow, she said.
“Vege growing in New Zealand is facing a crisis. Almost all of the vege growers I know are considering winding up, or have wound up in the last few years. What we are facing is that when you get events like this it’s just not economic to continue in business.
“But we think what we are doing is important, and we think that our community is going to want to support us to keep doing it.”
So far there had been a positive response from customers, with donations and support flowing in, Platt said.
Fundraising would continue until September with whatever money raised going go towards planting vegetables next season, she said.
