Officially, NSW’s raging drought has contracted only slightly this month, but after weeks of crop-saving and pasture-saving storms in many areas, there are large pockets of farmers who now expect their best winter crops in years.
Areas such as the Liverpool Plains and the Upper Hunter, for instance, are having a magic season.
“It looks like we’ll be having a terrific crop on the back of a fantastic sorghum harvest earlier in the year,” said DPI district agronomist at Gunnedah, NSW, Bill Manning.
At Gollan (east of Dubbo) graingrower, Ross Simpson, expressed a similar sentiment, saying this was the best spring he had experienced since 1996.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) latest monthly figures are reporting a 2.4pc decline in the drought affected area.
Even so, 69pc of the State is still officially drought declared.
Parts of the Bourke, Central Tablelands, Dubbo, Gundagai, Molong and Northern New England districts have moved out of drought, while parts of the South Coast, Wanaaring and Wilcannia districts have gone into drought.
And this week an unseasonal cold snap has made farmers nervous about the possibility of frost or wind damage.
Light snow was reported in parts of the Central and Southern Tablelands on Wednesday and temperatures dropped by about 10 degrees, bringing strong winds and scattered showers.
Email a friend