Rain across NSW. We received a very gentle 18ml over the farm.
Rain at this time of year is a funny one. Because we have no significant stock, rain at this time time is more about building up moisture reserves for sowing in about two months time. It is also enough to germinate weed across our paddocks which will most likely require spraying in about 2 weeks time costing time and money.
At this point in time, much of Qld and Parts of NSW are in drought – so hopefully they got rain. Especially the livestock farmers. Drought is pretty ordinary and in a parched landscape, 18ml is like getting the hose and giving your garden bed a brief water. It doesn’t fill dams, it just dampens the top 5 cms of soil. It will have value for a few days (cooling things down), but thats about it. Hopefully there is more coming for those in great need.
For us winter cropping, rain in the period of April to October is most crucial. In particular rain in May to germinate the seeds we plant and good rain in August/September when the crop gets size about it and decides how much grain it will produce. If we haven’t had the full soil profile saturated with rain by September, our crops will not achieve their potential. If there is no August/September rain and no moisture reserves in the soil, they die – producing only a few seeds. Then, of course, we need it to be dry in November and December so we can harvest.
Farmers are a picky bunch with rain 😉