Rain delivers hope for those that were lucky enough to get under a storm

Remarkable rain in places since the new year transformed paddocks in way not seen for years.

Storms associated with a trough that had hovered over the Northern Tablelands have greened paddocks from Walcha to the Queensland border.

Along the Old Armidale Road, west of Black Mountain, more than 270mm was recorded for January and bleached paddocks are now productive.

For some producers, it is worth the risk to go another step and plant fodder on the back of this gift from the heavens.

"We are really rolling the dice," explained wool producer Ben Jackson, west of Guyra, who recorded 214mm for the month and planted a fodder crop in between showers.

"We've got sunshine now and we've had lots of rain. That's the formula to grow stuff," he said.

"We've been tossing up what to put in and sourcing seed right now is precarious. It's sort of like get in line!"

Fortunately Ben, who farms with his father James, purchased Japanese millet to sow last spring which was waiting for just the sort of opportunity that came in the weeks after New Year.

This crop, should it go ahead, will be grazed first in mid to late February and again in March after which time Mr Jackson says they will likely knock it out and put in a winter crop.

"Last Australia Day we opened the silos and we fed every day until a week ago. Now I feed three times a week," he said.

There are plenty unsure about taking a gamble on a new season crop, fearful of making yet another mistake. Mr Jackson says he is just thankful for the excuse to get up and do something.

"During the winter when the drought was at its peak you just asked yourself can it get any worse? And it did. It was utterly demoralising. It left you with a feeling of helplessness."

Now with residual moisture finger deep in his granite loam, the chance to have a crack is all too welcome.

The drought knocked some of the Jacksons' paddocks terribly, reducing ant pressure to a minimum, which proved handy at sowing. Pioneering weeds on bare soil included couch, a poison to sheep, and as such was sprayed out just before cultivation, along with sedges like nutgrass, which offer poor feed quality.

Patchy rain blessed some and cruelled others near Moree, where Sandy Munro, Weebollabolla, recorded 100mm in a single event last Thursday. Now black soil crevasses are crumbling into themselves, a good sign that all that rain was captured by self mulching soils.

As a punt 300 acres were sown to fast growing forage sorghum in hopes that it will give some cattle currently being fed a bit of respite and will let other country recover.

Near Pallamallawa, Ross McPhie, Nandoo, said he got 89mm at home and 114mm on a nearby block closer to Terry Hie Hie, although to the west of that there was less than an inch.

"We've got 12 months' supply of water for stock and the garden," he said.

"If we get another 75mm we will be set up for a winter crop but right now this is a great place to be."

At Mingoola, Brahman breeder John Claydon said the 100mm in a week changed his outlook with cattle coming off the back country onto old cultivation now thick with liverseeed grass. As a punt he planted an eight hectare paddock to a mix of forage sorghum and Japanese millet, now just poking up.

"It wasn't enough but I took took the risk. If we get more rain in February I will plant some oats."

A long-held ambition to breed Simmental/ Brahman with Angus, and vice versa, has been maintained through the drought.

"I know it has broken me but I still have my cattle to help me get out of debt again," he said. "You just try and achieve something along the road."