And only 28.2mm off the record set in 1929, when 133.1mm fell.
The mass soaking is also 72.9mm above average for the month.
Caldwell crop farmers Tim McKindlay and Dom Douglas-Garden are rejoicing after one of the best autumn breaks they’ve seen.
“You couldn’t design a better break,” Tim said.
“It’s given the community hope about the coming season.”
Tim, who grows wheat, barley, lupin, canola and hay on his 2500-hectare property, said between 90-100mm of rain had fallen on his farm last month.
“Consistent falls, not huge ones, over the next few months would be a huge help to ensure a good season.”
Dom is a fifth-generation farmer, growing canola, wheat, barley, vetch and oaten hay on his 1800-hectare property.
“It’s certainly been a good start to the season,” he said.
“It’s helped with the weed break for crops that haven’t gone in yet and for the crops already planted it gives them germination at the beginning of the planting window.
“We’ll be able to store that rainfall through winter and hopefully get a top up of rain over the next few months and then plenty in spring. Plus a bit of sunshine would be handy to get everything growing.”
Nutrien Ag Solutions senior agronomist David Sutton said farmers were the most positive they had been in a long time.
“It’s a cracking start to the season and the best we have had in a long, long while — those that have sown forage wheat and oats early are now grazing and getting some pretty good feed,” he said.
“My clients have all their canola in and many are saying this is the perfect start to autumn.
‘‘There is a fair bit of angst around potential chemical and fertiliser shortage and these could become difficult to source throughout the year — all this rain will put a lot of demand on urea and there could potentially be a supply problem there.”
The good autumn start follows double the average monthly rainfall in Echuca in 24 hours in March.
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