Freak rain storms drowns crops

Farmers in the south of Australia and Tasmania have had to deal with heavy rain in the last week. One potato farmer had to write off 1000 tonnes of potatoes worth $300,000 as heavy rain fell just 3 weeks before he was due to harvest the crop.

As reported by abc.net.com Terry Buckley received more than 120 millimetres of rain at his Mingbool property, in the state's south-east.

"We've only got 36 hours and they're done," he said. "I'm digging a hole with the excavator and then have three little pumps that we use for this sort of thing. It's all about air. As soon as they get their air cut off, they suffocate and die."

For about 50 of his total 900 acres, it's too late.

During the first rain event, on January 7, Mr Buckley said, there was about 48 millimetres of rain in less than 20 minutes.

A few days later, throughout the early morning of January 13, the same paddocks were hit by another 80-millimetre downpour. Sporadic rain started falling again on Tuesday afternoon, as a team of men worked to create impromptu dams in three separate locations.

Farmers in southern Tasmania have also been hit by heavy downfalls and are assessing damage to fruit crops following heavy overnight rain.

Parts of the Huon Valley received more than 70 millimetres in the deluge, which hit cherry growing areas at the wrong time.

Howard Hansen, from Hansen Orchards, was due to start picking fruit this week, but said the rain could damage up to 50 per cent of the crop.

He said the rain was good for the upcoming apple harvest, but would not make up for the damage to the cherries.

Over 150 millimetres of rain fell at Longley, near Mount Wellington, but berry grower Malcolm Wolfe said most of his crop was okay.

The rain also fell in parts of the East Coast and the Midlands, where rains have been well below average for the past 12 months.

The full extent of rain damage to fruit crops won't be known for several days.