WINTER has arrived and thankfully so has the rain.
Farmers across the North East and the Riverina have breathed a collective sigh of relief with June delivering average rainfall to date.
Across the region 10mm to 20mm has been recorded in the latest rainfall event, according to Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Terry Ryan.
Mr Ryan said the lows affecting southern Queensland and northern NSW had disappeared for the dry season, bringing the rain down south.
He said there had been a cold outbreak over the Southern Ocean on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“There was a cloud band ahead of that last week.”
He said this had brought average rainfall for the first half of June.
“Another low is coming along for the weekend,” Mr Ryan said.
He said it should bring further light rainfall today and tomorrow, with possible showers on Monday.
“It’s typical for Victorian rainfall,” Mr Ryan said of the slow and steady rainfall.
“It’s the best way to get it.”
He said the heaviest fall had been last weekend.
John Tafft, who owns property and share farms near Rutherglen, has recorded mixed rainfall this month.
At his home he measured 23mm.
The lowest recorded was 16mm in one of his paddocks east of Rutherglen with the maximum of 28mm in a paddock to the south.
On Thursday he planted the last 80ha of crop in his 800ha cropping regime after being pushed off the tractor due to the rain.
But he was pleased with the hold-up.
“We were really desperate,” he said.
“There was no subsoil moisture.
“The crops were struggling.”
Mr Tafft reported that the poor germination of some of his crops sown in early May had shot through this week, at the hands of the latest rainfall event.
He said the germination of his canola had been particularly poor.
This year he is sowing a bit more than usual, to try and recover some losses from last year.
“We just had a terrible spring,” he said.
“I’m sowing more wheat and less legumes.”
He said this was to reduce his risk, and was even planting wheat on wheat — something he’s never done before.
Mr Tafft said he’d continue to keep a close eye on the weather — with recent years teaching him a good start didn’t guarantee a good finish.
“Between me and my wife we look every hour (at the internet),” he said.
Southern Riverina drought support worker Don Burrowes said the recent rain had created a shift in the general mood of farmers.
“They’re hopeful of a good season,” he said.
“Farmers are a lot more optimistic than they were a week or two ago.”
He reminded farmers that just because it had rained it didn’t mean exceptional circumstance payments would cease.
He said they were still guaranteed to March 31, 2010.
The latest Murray-Darling Basin Authority Drought Update, released this week, reports that for the June 2008 to May 2009 water year Murray system inflows were the third driest in 118 years.
“This follows the seventh driest year in 2007-08 and the driest on record in 2006-07,” chief executive Rob Freeman said.
“Murray system inflows have been below average for nine out of the last 10 years.
“The prospects for irrigation allocations in 2009-10 will be highly dependent on future rainfall and system inflows.
“Overall, the outlook for the 2009-10 water year remains grim, and is similar to the previous two years.”
Mr Ryan said the bureau didn’t have any definitive forecasts for rain moving forward this winter.
“It’s a 50-50 bet on average rainfall right now,” he said.
He said there was an elevated chance of El Nino this winter and spring, however this was a possibility for one in every four years.
“Each year there’s a 25 per cent chance of El Nino,” he said.
He also said farmers had gotten by OK on El Nino weather patterns before.
Frost was widespread across the North East on Thursday and Friday.
Mr Ryan said frost could also occur this morning.
He said winter had well and truly arrived for the region, with an average of 10 to 12 degrees expected in Albury and districts in the coming weeks.
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