“Farmers have received much needed follow-up rain in many areas of NSW, which is ideal; it has put them in a great position at the start of the season,” Mr Whan said.

“The south received some heavy rain with Wagga Wagga recording 110 mm in the last 24 hours – some farmers say it has been the best autumn break in a decade, it will allow farmers to plant crops like canola, wheat and oats.

“There has also been some significant rain in the Riverina which has been suffering the brunt of the drought for the last eight years, Narrandera received 73 mm, while Hillston received 60 mm.

“In Cootamundra it poured last night, so a lot of farmers have a big smile on their faces today.

“Experienced farmers in the Cootamundra area say the rain is typical of the autumn breaks they used to receive 15-20 years ago.”

Mr Whan cautioned the rain was far from drought-breaking, with the majority of NSW still officially in drought, currently 65.7 per cent of the State.

“Unfortunately some farmers received no rain or very little rain over the weekend, including Armidale, Bourke, Brewarrina and Glen Innes, so the drought is far from over for our State,” Mr Whan said.