Patchy rainfall in station country leaves pastoralists with varied confidence

The patchy nature of summer thunderstorms has resulted in the Broken Hill township recording upwards of 200 millimetres to date this year, while some outlying stations have only received a fifth of that figure.

At Langawirra Station, 120 kilometres north east of Broken Hill, Lachlan Gall says "useful rain" is needed soon, otherwise they will be in for a difficult winter.

"The season is very dry and on a knife edge," he said at Agfair Broken Hill on Saturday.

"We had a drought year last year and you really need a flood to end a drought and the individual rainfalls we've had haven't been big totals and there hasn't been follow ups."

The Gall family runs a Nyowee-blood Merino flock, Poll Hereford cattle and musters rangeland goats.

They've had 100mm year-to-date, but only had 100mm for the entirety of 2023.

"It was so dry last year that we didn't crutch and we didn't put the rams out," Mr Gall said.

"At the moment we're feeding cattle. We took a gamble and put rams out last week, but up until we put them out the rams were on feed for the best part of six months."

Facing a similar predicament 100km north west of Broken Hill is Mulga Valley Station sheep grazier Paul Martin.

The station has only recorded 45mm for the year and has led Mr Martin back to his off-station job as a pilot with the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

"We haven't had much rain for the last three years," he said.

"We were also in a drought between 2017 and 2020, it broke, and then we haven't had much rain since so it has been a testing time."

Mr Martin said they matched stocking rate to carrying capacity and each month that passed without significant rain meant that carrying capacity decreased.

"We manage for ecological outcomes which means if we want something left you have to get rid of your stock way before it's too late," he said.

It has been a different story 85km north of Broken Hill at Sturt Meadows Station, where Sam Beven and family run Dorper and Merino sheep, Angus cattle and muster rangeland goats.

Sturt Meadows had been fortunate to receive 140mm of its 200mm annual average by the start of May.

"We're tracking quite comfortably, but people around us have had an ordinary year," Mr Beven said.

"We had average rainfall last year but the rain came down in storm. It didn't really soak into the ground and grow a lot of feed but it ran a lot of water and filled all our dams."

Mr Beven said general confidence in the area was varied, but most pastoralists were happy that livestock prices were turning a corner after a very difficult eight-month period in 2023.

With properties north and east of Broken Hill, and south of Menindee, Pastoralist's Association of West Darling president Terry Smith has a first hand view of just how variable conditions are in western NSW.

"North of town is ok, east is pretty dry and south of Menindee where my brother is is really crook. He's back to feeding stock there at the moment," he said.

"The storms have been really patchy. Some people might have green feed on two thirds of their property and the rest hasn't.

"My parents live in Broken Hill and have had 220mm for the year in town. I'm 60km east and have had 42mm. That's how patchy it can be."

The Smiths have just started lambing and while scanning figures were promising - 92 per cent in lamb for breeding ewes and 80pc for maidens - they and others are keen for 25mm or more to "lift spirits".

"People that got rain in November and December had really good grazing and everything looked good but by mid-January they ran out of moisture and it went from green to hay in two weeks," he said.

"Everyone here and further south are hanging out for a big general break.

"The cattle are probably the concern at the moment, we're trying to keep feed in front of them.

"The sheep are going okay but we have started lambing in the past couple of weeks and we could do with some green feed."