THE old adage there’s money in mud was never truer as widespread falls of rain were recorded across the region.
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Dubbo Agronomist with Delta Agribusiness David Strahorn said the widespread falls were worth millions of dollars to producers watching crops wilt under hot and windy conditions last week.
“I’ve been talking to a client at Collie who said he’d had more than 25mm,” Mr Strahorn said midway through yesterday afternoon.
“We’ve been waiting a while for this rain and this will help a lot of farmers and crops,” he said.
He said advanced crops that were flowering or starting to fill in the head would yield much better while later crops would enjoy the boost provided by the moisture.
He said farmers seeking to grow summer forage crops like millet or forage sorghum would also be heartened by the falls.
At the Dubbo Regional Livestock Selling complex prices firmed while the rain poured down.
Wellington stock agent Ross Plasto of Plasto and Company said the tops of the heavy sucker lambs he sold yesterday were $3 to $5 dearer and topping at $122.
However, Mr Plasto thought there might have been some better results on the day.
He said the big improvers were Merino lambs which kicked $5 to $10 a head.
“I sold merino lambs a fortnight ago and made $70,” he said. “Today they were five to 10 dollars better.”
“It was just rain,” he said was the factor that pushed prices up yesterday.
Landmark auctioneer, Marcus Bruce also quote the market to being “a fraction dearer and it’s due to the rain”.
Mr Bruce opened his selling run with a pen of new season suckers lambs that were offered on behalf of John Kelly, Wongarbon, selling for $133. He said that price would have been among the top prices of the day.
Dubbo automatic weather station at the regional airport had recorded 22mm by 3pm on Monday afternoon.
To the south of Dubbo, Peak Hill and Yeoval had 16mm, West Wyalong 26mm, Lake Cargelligo 27mm while Forbes and Condobolin had 25mm by midafternoon.
Trangie and Coonabarabran had 16mm while at Gilgandra 18mm had fallen. However at Wellington and Mudgee only 11mm was recorded.
Today’s forecast for Dubbo is for more thunderstorms with the 90 per chance of falls in the one to five mm vicinity.
