Farmers were straight out in paddocks across many areas of the Central-West and Liverpool Plains after solid rain on Wednesday gave hope for winter crops.
Some were even contemplating sowing wheat in just two weeks, while barley, oats, canola and faba beans were being sown straight away.
The rain was general and widespread with new hope for some of the traditional major cropping areas in the north and on the Liverpoool Plains that have been devastated by drought for at least two years.
Farmers had already received some good falls in early March and the latest rain had soil moisture depths to 700mm in the Tamworth area, with about 90 per cent soil moisture profile. The exciting part is that more rain is predicted through next week.
Nutrien agronomist Hayden Hollis at Tamworth said many farmers had started their sowing of barley and canola already. Many were keen to sow now as they had been attacking weeds for some time (almost four hits), and glysophate supplies were running down in some areas.
He knew one farmer at Spring Ridge who would be putting in wheat in two weeks' time.
He said the rain had been pretty general around the Tamworth area.
Some of the top falls in the state on Wednesday included Dubbo 37mm, Dunedoo 51mm, Gunnedah 35mm, Tamworth 43mm, Warialda 45mm, Barraba 28mm, Orange 22mm, Bathurst 64mm, Oberon 40mm, Armidale 29mm, Tingha 30mm, Cessnock 52mm, Dorrigo 44mm, Coonabarabran 26mm..
John Ellicott
journalist and author
journalist and author
