Father and son devastated after farm flooded

A father-son farming duo was left gutted after their seven-acre farm in New Forest, Manchester, was flooded after rains from Tropical Storm Zeta.

Kefna Moss-Strong, 39, and his son, 17-year-old Naython, have been working on the farm together for years, producing callaloo, scallion, thyme and cucumber.

But when they checked on Sunday, the farm was a pond, everything was covered by water.

"The farm basically flood out. Water pass right through the farm. That is my main stream of income. This is a major setback. I couldn't say how much I have lost from this, because the prices vary, but it is a major setback," Kefna told THE WEEKEND STAR. And there was no calm after the storm. The devastation only continued on Monday when the water ran off.

The agriculture ministry said that persistent rains directly impacted the agricultural sector, with incidences of flooding being reported by most parishes, with Clarendon, St Elizabeth, Manchester, St Catherine, St Andrew and St Thomas being the worst affected areas. According to the Floyd Green-headed ministry, approximately 14,076 hectares of crops have been lost, affecting 11,072 farmers at an estimated preliminary value of just under $1 billion.

The loss for livestock is estimated at some $30.4 million, affecting 755 farmers. The heaviest losses were from poultry, of 414 broilers and layer birds at an estimated value of $12 million. Another area of significant losses is apiculture with damage to 5,190 colonies valued at $10 million and impacting 95 farmers. Some 62 beef and dairy cattle valued at $6 million were also lost. There were also losses of 359 pigs and small ruminants, valuing some $7 million.

Heavy losses

Moss-Strong said the loss he and his son suffered was very heavy. "After the rain, when I went to my farm, the grass that was there for mulch was washed out. And there was nothing around the root of the plants, so the plants were lying down on the surface. All the callaloo, scallion, thyme and cucumber. The water root them out the earth. That was all the plants," he said.

"And I realised that the water either had acid or some form of chemical that burnt the plants, because majority of them were yellow, had dried and discoloured leaves."

He said they worked the entire day cleaning up the farm and searching for salvageable crops. Naython, who began helping his father on the farm at age 13, was left discouraged when he saw the farm in ruins.

"At one point, I was asking 'is this where I should be? Is farming for me?' Those were the questions popping up in my head. I did feel a bit of discouragement and I didn't want to continue. But I realise that it is just one of those days. All I have to do is bring whatever is left to maturity and take it for there," Naython said. "The thyme and the callaloo now ... you just have to give them some fertiliser, spray them up and just get them ready. The fertiliser cost money, but if we want to save them that's what we have to do."