Recent rainfall in the region has been a welcome sight for Gloucester residents across the board.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After months without decent rain to keep the grass growing or top up dams, and the unprecedented ease of flow in the Barrington River halting the town's water supply just after Christmas, when the heavy rain started to come at the end of January, it was a huge sigh of relief.
During the big rain event, which started on Thursday, February 6, the patchy downpours saw anywhere from just over 100 millimetres to close to 400mm touch down across the Gloucester valley.
And while it saw many dams refilled, rainwater tanks over flowing and rivers breaking banks, the question has been raised about how it's effected the drought declared regions.
According to the Department of Primary Industries drought indicator, part of the Gloucester region remains in drought with the other part still in severe drought. The rain has quickly seen green return to the farmers' fields, however this flush of nutrients has had dire consequences with conditions ripening for Kikuyu poisoning.
NSW Farmers Gloucester branch chairperson, Pam Howard said the rain has helped alleviate the need to buy water and to feed livestock daily but the flush of new growth has caused some livestock deaths with nitrate poisoning.
I've never seen it get so lush so quick.
- Phil Moore
During periods of drought, the amount of nitrate in soil can increase and when there is a decent amount of rain the nitrate uptake by plants may be high, especially in the first week.
"I think the rain has put a smile on a lot of Gloucester farmers' faces, but most feel it is only a reprieve," Pam explained. "Last year we had 12 inches (around 300mm) of rain up to March then only 2 inches (50mm) from April to December finishing the year with a total of 14 inches (around 350mm). We need many months of rain to get the ground water levels back to normal."
Pam believes the financial benefits will be a long time coming with the cost of feeding and lack of water seeing producers having to sell cattle at reduced rates.
"Gloucester farmers are mainly involved in dairying, beef and poultry, and all have been impacted by the drought," she said. "Feed prices for the dairying and poultry industries have increased dramatically over the last 12 months with no increase for farmers in milk or egg prices.
"The selloff of beef cattle in our district mainly to abattoirs means beef producers will have to replace herds at increased prices with a lot of competition from other farmers and wait for 12 months before any financial benefits."
NSW Farmers meets on February 27 with plans to discuss any issues farmers have that should be taken to the State conference, including on farm water storage.
"Driving around the paddocks and seeing green grass instead of only dust and dirt certainly helps," Pam said.
For Gloucester farmer, Phil Moore the rain has resulted is a rush of thick green grass across his beef cattle paddocks.
"I've never seen it get so lush so quick," Phil said. "It's good, isn't it."