CROPPERS in parts of the Lower and Mid North, Yorke Peninsula and South East had some of their heaviest falls in the past three months this week.
But the rainfall was not the season saviour some were hoping for, with a number of areas again missing out.
Eudunda farmer Greg Withers said 31 millimetres had fallen in the region in the past seven days.
“Those 31mm are the heaviest we’ve had since April,” he said.
“We had decent falls in April, but until this week we’d really only had a few showers come through, just enough to wash a bit of urea in.”
Freeling farmer Corbin Schuster said after one of the driest Junes on record for the district, his family farm received 62mm in the past seven days, bringing July rainfall up to 77mm.
“This week’s falls were the heaviest rain event we’ve had all year. It's nice to have some mud on the ute instead of dust,” he said.
“It gives us some breathing space and a bit more confidence in the season.
“We still had some crops that hadn’t germinated properly and this rain should help bring them up.”
Mr Schuster said the rain would also give some confidence to go on with nitrogen application.
Other areas in the Lower and Mid North to receive handy falls were 42mm at Roseworthy and 25mm at Clare.
Good falls in the SE included 63mm at Mount Gambier, 35mm at Naracoorte, 32mm at Keith and 24mm at Bordertown.
Landmark SE agronomist James Heffernan said the season was verging on being too wet for croppers.
“All the crops and pastures are looking really good, we’ve had a fantastic start,” he said.
“But we are right on the edge of being too wet. Driving about the place on Tuesday, there is a fair bit of water lying in paddocks.”
On the Eyre Peninsula, the heaviest falls were at Coulta (30mm) and Elliston (22mm), while on the YP, 46mm fell at Stenhouse Bay and 28mm at Maitland.
Karoonda received some of the highest falls in the Mallee with 12mm.
Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said for the next week or so, it looked like rain and showers would again favour the SE, Kangaroo Island and Mount Lofty Ranges areas, due to fronts being likely to contain little moisture.
“The fronts also look relatively weak compared to those in mid-July, so falls on the whole should amount to less than what we've just seen,” he said. “But there is potential for more than 20mm in parts of the SE, KI and Mount Lofty Ranges. On a more positive note, frost is not likely to be a big feature given the fronts should be reasonably frequent, bringing bursts of cloud and wind together with a few showers.”
