The organisation’s president, Jason Herrick, said the wet weather had been relentless recently and a huge burden for all farmers across the region.
In the past, some parts of Southland had been wet, while other parts had been OK, so the load could be spread around.
But this time, all of Southland had been affected, he said.
"There are a lot of stressed-out, strung-out farmers out there.
"It is rather wet. I’ve only seen one other wet year like this in my time here in the last 11 years.
"All of Southland is absolutely drenched. Soil capacity is well over 100%. We are completely waterlogged."
He said this was even more concerning, since spring was a very important time for farmers as it set them up for the rest of the year.
"So dairy farmers need a good start at calving and a good start to milking by using a good quality of feed, because this is where we get our peak milk from. If we don’t get peak milk, then we lose that percentage right across the season and production will be down.
"Sheep and beef, in current economic times, these guys are really struggling. They’re not getting good prices for their lambs and their meat products, so they’re relying on survivability.
"Now, if they don’t get good survivability at this time of year when animals are born, then the numbers are down for, you know, income at the end of the season ... There’s challenges right across the board and it’s really starting to pull on a lot of farmers," he said.
Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds agreed.
She said data from Environment Southland from Monday indicated rainfall in certain areas, including places such as Mossburn, Riversdale, Five Rivers and Oreti, had reached over 200% above the long-term average for September, with the month still only halfway through.
"That’s double the average rainfall in just over two weeks — and today there’s been snow.
"Farmers have been facing the dual challenge of managing calving and lambing while contending with these relentless wet conditions and weather events.
"Many are working long hours and are exhausted from the ongoing struggle, with some farmers saying the current conditions are some of the worst seen in two decades."
Wendonside farmer Dylan Ditchfield, for example, said when he started to farm in the area in 1997, he faced difficult conditions like that.
"It was worse than what we are seeing, but we are only at this early point in time of the season ... What worries me is the ongoing effects of the conditions we have now, what we will get over the next two to three months and how that is going to affect the whole season — that is my biggest concern."
His 20-years-plus experience had brought him the calmness and confidence to make the hard decisions early on, such as feeding out cows just once a day, he said.
"Some might say that is a drastic move ... We are taking a hit on production right now because of it, but I believe we need to look after the cows.
"We know there will be a cost somewhere, but you need to make a decision on where those costs will appear."
While he felt more comfortable about making decisions now, he remembered feeling overwhelmed in the past.
"I’m really feeling for those farmers that haven’t really experienced this before — particularly younger farmers — because if they haven’t got that support around them, they’ll start blaming themselves.
Mr Herrick, Ms Simmonds and Mr Ditchfield encouraged farmers to reach out for help if they were feeling under pressure.
