By MATT NICHOLLS
NOVEMBER in 2013 could be seen as a landmark month for Northern Tablelands farmers after precious rain “saved the day” for many on the land.
While the rainfall readings didn’t break any records, above average downpours have given graziers and growers new-found confidence heading into 2014.
At Armidale, 51mm fell on Friday to take the monthly rainfall tally to 117mm – about 8mm above the monthly average – while Guyra copped 148mm in November and Glen Innes 136mm.
Armidale stock agent Paul Watts said he could see the impact of the much-needed rain on both the landscape and the farmers’ faces.
“I’ve been out of town for a bit, but you can see the rain’s already turned the paddocks from brown to green,” he said.
“It’s even put a smile on a few farmers’ faces.”
Mr Watts said many graziers had been forced to sell stock sooner than they wanted to because of a lack of feed and water.
He said those that were able to “hold out” would be the major benefactors.
“We’ll see a bit of a kick in the market now and those with stock will hold on to them and put some weight into them before selling them next year,” he said.
“February to July is the normal period for selling stock, but some just had to sell earlier.”
The long-time agent said the rain and a change of government had boosted confidence in agriculture.
“There wasn’t a lot of confidence under the past government and some people were waiting for a change to happen,” Mr Watts said.
“Even the real estate market has picked up since the election.”
