Rainfall at the start of this week.

HANDY rain has fallen across dry parts of New South Wales, with hopes that the weather will line up to bring through some winter forage.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s rainfall overview maps, a west-to-east front has delivered steady rain to most of NSW – mostly between 25-50mm. The system also brought falls to Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and the channel country of Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Producers in the area say they are now hoping for a month of mild weather to help bring through the small amount of winter crop that has been planted.

Mick Jackson, who owns properties at Tenterden, Guyra and Bendemeer on the Northern Tablelands through his Jackson Pastoral Company, said he had between 24-35mm.

“I am relieved to think we have had something. We only planted a third of the crop we would normally plant and only half of that has come up,” he said.

“So, I was really hanging out to get a bit on the area that has come out of the ground.

“Normally it is really cold here, we get a lot of frosts and even snow in some of our high country. But it has been really mild here, the ground temperature is warm and I have seen it where we can get a bit of growth in May.

“That will hopefully give stock some pick to go through winter with the hay we have.”

Having grown up on the Northern Tablelands and spent a lot of his working life as an agent and a producer in the area, Mr Jackson said he had never seen the area become so dry, so quickly.

“This was the first time in my life where we have never had a drop of rain in April, some of our country is 35-40inch rainfall,” he said.

“It was very dry in 2019, but the water slowly dried up in 2019. I don’t think I have ever seen where we have had absolutely no run-off rain since before Christmas.

“We have 14km of creek frontage on a few of the farms, half of them have dried up and they are normally permanent creeks. We have been lucky to put in some quite significant dams and water troughs, you have to do that when you are running cattle”

Unchartered territory

Asked whether he thought some of the crop that has not come out the ground could still strike, Mr Jackson said:

“I really don’t know, I have never been in this position where I have put crop in and nothing has happened.”

Mr Jackson said the other new factor with this drought has been the strong cattle and sheep market, which have persisted through a huge sell-off.

“This year would be the biggest sell-off I have ever seen in this part of the world. I have heard of people completely destocking, they are going to take a bit of buying back,” he said.

“I just can’t believe so many stock have been sold and the prices have held up so well.”

Rain to trigger some planting

Agent and consultant Jim Blain from Blain Agribusiness at Inverell said the rain had fallen where some of his clients were either destocking or looking for agistment. He said there was now plenty of talk of winter oats crops.

“It depends where they are though, a client of mine already had a bit of moisture and this will link that moisture profile up,” Mr Blain said.

“Some took a punt and put a crop in last week or the week before and others that have had 50mm and more will plant when they can get onto paddocks.

“South of the Warrego, right down to Sydney is still very dry.”

Mr Blain said the next month will be crucial.

“We are lucky that it has been warm this week and if it stays warm, which it can easily do, we should get a crop. The issues will come if we get some of the big snapping cold frosts.”