Grain farmers from Dubbo to Nyngan and north are hoping that forecast rain for this week may offer a last-ditch opportunity to germinate winter grain crops and seed late crops.
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Unseasonably dry weather has prevented dry autumn and winter weather conditions has prevented planting winter crops.
Rainfall totals haven’t even been enough to germinate crops that have been dry seeded in the hope of rain.
An unseasonal trough is expected to feed moist area into western NSW bringing the chance of welcome rain across some of the state’s driest areas.
Forecasters are saying some areas in the north west of the state could see more than 50 millimetres by the end of the week.
Agronomists from Dubbo north are saying that very little of the crop that has already been dry seeded has germinated and prospects for the season are grim.
The odd crop that has managed to germinate from isolated rain events are struggling to survive.
The absence of native vegetation because of the drought is creating its own problems.
Farmers in the north west and central west are saying any that any crops that have emerged is being eaten off by hungry kangaroos.
Some farmers are still saying they will take a chance and plant winter crops if they get enough rain in the next week.
Planting cereal crops in July in north western NSW is outside ideal planting window.
Extreme conditions may warrant the gamble.
Soaring grain prices and limited hay and pasture reserves is changing the way farmers are thinking about the late planting options.
The drought has left farmers will little no pasture so producing a fodder crop will be the initial objective, and a bonus if the crop matures and can be harvested for grain.
Oats will be a popular option if the current rainfall forecasts are realised.
Grain buyers are now resorting to all modes of transport to draw grain supplies to the north to fill the supply void.
A 2.8-kilometre, 101 wagon train was loaded from Crystal Brook in South Australia last week to haul about 6,300 tonnes of wheat the 1500-kilometre journey to Moree.
From Moree the grain will be trucked the remaining 400 kilometres to the Darling Downs to feedlots.
Some of the train is expected to be railed into the Tamworth and Newcastle area to supply feed grain users in those regions.
There is also talk of wheat and barley being shipped from Western Australia and South Australia in July to Brisbane, where it will be unloaded and trucked to the demand intensive areas of southern Queensland and northern NSW.
The reality is setting in the current grain shortages are now expected to extend well into the 2019 calendar year.
Supply chains are being reversed to streamline the massive flows of grain by ship, train and truck to maintain the northern grain needs.
But for now, farmers are hoping they may see the first meaningful rain in months and that this will be enough for one last-ditch effort plant grain and pasture crops to help ease the pain on what’s shaping up to be a difficult season.
