April rains on farmers' woes

by Vanessa Williams

April 17, 2008

DROUGHT stricken farmers in WA’s southwest rejoiced on April 17, as April headed towards one of the wettest on record, providing up to 30mm of rain for crops.

WA farmers’ federation spokesman Doug Parker said there was a lot of optimism around for many farmers in the Southwest agricultural areas. 

“There are a few smiles coming onto faces,” Mr Parker said. “When they see that green tinge on their land which has been dry for so long, it brings a sense of hope.”

Mr Parker, who often speaks to cockies about their progress, said many were managing well and were looking at this season to offset their financial burdens.

“There is a gamble on the rain to a big extent,” Mr Parker said. “And many farmers have to make a decision whether or not to put seeds in the ground.”

“The rainfall so far has put a significant amount of moisture in the soil, and that’s the bottom line.”

However, forecaster Glenn Cook from the Bureau of Meteorology said the rainfall outlook in the Southwest region from April to June had only a fifty-fifty chance of exceeding the median.

The regions that have received the best rainfall in WA so far this year are northern parts of the Southwest such as Bunbury, the West Pilbara, the Gascoyne, and Northern Kimberley.

 “No particular signal is leaning one way or the other at the moment,” Mr Cook said. “Although we are approaching the second wettest April for Perth, the chance of receiving above average rainfall during the winter period is the same as the chances of expecting a dry season.

“Generally, April is one of the wetter months earlier on in the year.”

Claire Lugar, spokeswoman for the Water Corporation, said it was too early to say run-off from the recent rains would see dam levels rise.

 “At this point, the run-off is only dampening the catchment,” she said. “We look at the rainfall during June and July to see a change to dam levels.”

The capacity for dams stands at 31.7%, 53 Gigalitres up from the same time last year.

“Although we’re still inside the target to save water for this year,” Ms Lugar warned, “we really urge people to switch off their sprinklers during wet days such as these.”

At 9am on April 17, when it was still hosing down, Perth’s rainfall for the year stood at 192.8mm. This was more than 100mm above the average for the year to end of the month.