The round of meetings for snow-hit farmers in the deep south is now complete, with the final get-together in Balclutha on Wednesday night.

Around 500 farmers attended the three meetings to talk about the impact of last month’s snow storm.

Acting Otago Federated Farmers president Steven Korteweg says there will be farmers who didn’t go who probably should have, and the focus now is on getting through to them.

"For the ones that were there, they were the more positive people in the sector, we’re encouraging them to look out for their mates really, who might not have been able to make it.”

Mr Korteweg says some of the worst-hit farmers are faced with the ultimate decision.

“It is a reality – it’s a business, that’s what farming is."

"I don’t want to sound callous, but the sooner you make a decision the better. If you bottle it up, don’t face the issues or deal with things it doesn’t do any good.

"There is good news though, everyone went away with something to think about, and banks and the council both made it clear they’re willing to help however they can."

And farmers are being advised to take care when planning how to use surplus land and grass over summer.

With hundreds or thousands of ewes and lambs missing from paddocks, grass growth is expected to far outstrip the mouths it needs to feed.

Feds adverse events spokesperson David Rose says  there are plenty of options for farmers, so they shouldn’t be in too much competition.

“I think it’s going to vary depending on where you are, for instance, if you’re surrounded by dairy farmers you’d look to sell any extra feed to them, as they often source from outside anyway.

"If you’re on a hill though, that’s not an option, so you might be looking to taking lambs to larger weights, instead of 16-18 kilos, you could be looking at 19 plus.”