WHILE the recent rain in the MIA area has been beneficial for some, the outlook for others remains dire.
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So far this month Leeton shire has received 34.8 millimetres of rain, with the wettest day being November 14 where 16.4 millimetres fell from the heavens.
The rain has been welcomed by farmers with summer crops and horticulture growers in the region.
More rain is expected today and Wednesday, but the amount has decreased.
However, the situation remains dire for those in dryland areas, as well as irrigators.
Agronomist with AGnVET Services in Leeton, Elizabeth Munn, said while the rain was welcome, it still wasn’t enough.
“It’s definitely good for farmers who have a summer crop in and for the horticultural guys as well,” she said.
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“For those cutting hay, they’ve had to leave it on the ground to dry, so it’s set them back.
“It’s definitely still bad out there. A lot of the dryland farmers have had very minimal, or none at all, coming off their winter crops.
“For the majority of them, they don’t really have the option of putting in a summer crop either.”
Very little rice has been planted in the Leeton area, with the current crop expected to be down by at least 80 per cent when it is brought in around Easter next year.
Miss Munn said she knew of about five growers in Leeton who had planted rice, but only in one or two paddocks.
Normally there are around 50 growers in the Leeton area who plant rice.
Crops such as cotton and corn are the preferred option, but even the numbers surrounding them are down.
Miss Munn said should the drought’s grip continue to tighten, next year would be even worse.
The Bureau of Meteorology continues to predict a summer with little rainfall throughout the state.
As well as being a dry year, 2018 has so far been very warm too.
High daytime temperatures have added to the impact of reduced rainfall – for instance through reduced soil moisture.
While the outlook remains grim, Miss Munn said growers in the area were keeping their heads up.
“Most are trying to certainly stay positive … they know they will have dry years, good years and bad years,” she said.
“They are optimistic it will get better.”
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