Six months ago, the outlook for Mill Creek Orchard in New Zealand's Motueka Valley was uncertain following two flooding events that affected more than 18 hectares of blueberry plantings. The floods damaged infrastructure, deposited debris and silt, and broke posts across the orchard.
In October, a separate storm caused further losses when plastic covering was torn from more than half of the orchard's 88 tunnel rows in an area not affected by the floods. This section typically supplies early-season fruit from October to December. The exposure left the crop vulnerable to birds immediately before the first scheduled pick. "We lost that entire lot, literally overnight," said owner Don Heckler, who operates the orchard with his wife Nicola.
Despite these setbacks, the orchard reported that early-season harvesting proceeded, and picking has now begun in flood-affected areas, which normally produce from January to June.
"Although productivity overall for the season will inevitably be lower than usual, it's been a relief to get some money coming in, rather than it going out in the recovery effort," Heckler said.
The first flood occurred in late June last year, when heavy rain led to a state of emergency in the Tasman region. "We were quite positive after that first event we'd still get fruit because we'd had a reasonably big event four years beforehand on 4ha, and we'd got that tidied up pretty quickly and ended up with a reasonable crop," Heckler said. "So I knew if we could get the plants cleaned off and the silt out as fast as possible, most of them would bounce back."
At the start of July, a second flood caused further damage. Civil Defence described it as the worst flooding in almost 150 years. "When the second flood came through, it was carnage," Heckler said. "The Motueka River was literally roaring that night; it was deafening sometimes, so I knew it was going to be bad."
The second event brought additional debris, including trees, logs, and baleage, and resulted in the loss of an enclosed 4-hectare block to the river. During this period, an earlier injury became infected, leading to hospitalisation. Heckler later recovered.
The orchard received assistance from employees, volunteers, and support organisations. When the property was purchased in 2011, it had 1 hectare of blueberries and produced 6 tons in the first season. By last year, plantings had expanded to just over 28 hectares across 17 varieties, with production reaching 356 tons. This season, output is expected to be lower, with about 20 per cent of bushes lost and fewer additional workers required.
Source: FarmersWeekly
