Many are hoping these falls signify the end of the severe 2018-19 dry period which has wreaked havoc on the region – exacerbated by soaring temporary water prices.
Cohuna dairy farmers Di and Gary Bowles said their property received 6mm Wednesday morning, followed by another 26mm that night. The couple were extremely pleased with the rain even though they had borrowed money three days earlier to purchase temporary water.
Their newly sown autumn pastures are just two inches out of the ground and were in desperate need of water: “That’s why we borrowed money to buy temporary water. We had the best pasture strike we have ever had and had spent money on seed and fertiliser, so we just had to keep going, you are either in or out, there is no in-between anymore.
“The reality for us was if it didn’t rain, the farm was going on the market. We had sold another 11 cows on Wednesday and we are just running out of feed,” Di said.
The couple said that they would normally be milking around 270 cows, this season they will be lucky to reach 220.
“We have the most heifers coming in this year than we have ever had but we can’t cut back numbers too much because we still need to pay the bills.”
For Thyra cropper Luke Barlow the gentle soaking 25mm he had received Thursday morning was perfect for the 2500 acres of canola and vetch he had sown dry.
And for the odd 3000 he still had to go.
“We still have good soil temperature, so we will get far more growth out of rain like this in May than we ever would in June or July.’’
Luke said while the rain was enough to get crops germinated, follow up rains were still required.
“We have had enough rain for germination but there isn’t enough moisture in the ground for roots to get down. Last year’s dry season took a lot of soil moisture out of the ground so follow up rain is definitely needed, it doesn’t have to be biblical though, just 5-6mm each week will get things wet enough and away the crops will go.”
Luke said NSW’s zero allocation last year made the season incredibly tough, but it taught him the value of making educated decisions – this season he will be a true dryland farmer as he had no carryover water to ensure a finish to spring if it remained dry.
“The autumn break is the most anticipated rain because it gives the green light for the go ahead of the season and on the map this one looked great.”
Avocado grower Andrew Crossman from Torrumbarry received a much needed 22mm.
It has been enough to settle the dust and restore some confidence.
“For us it is the biggest game changer because good falls have been received state wide, which will mitigate frosts this winter and they are our biggest threat. It gives us some peace of mind and nothing compares to a good rain,” Andrew said.
The Bureau of Meteorology are forecasting a dry and sunny Friday with a late cool change Friday night and a dry weekend.
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