South Australia: And then there was rain

ABC Rural reports that parts of South Australia (SA) have seen significant rainfall in the past 24 hours, providing relief for some farmers but other farmers have missed out, getting as little as 5mm of rain, while others have had up to 40mm.

Paying too much for hay and grains

In the article on ABC Rural online, Phil Kernich, who farms east of Yamba in the Riverland, explains that has been experiencing his driest season since 1982, received 10.5 millimetres of rain. “We are very thankful but it’s still a lot less than some, that brings our total up to 33mm for the year,” Mr Kernich said. “This is the worst season it’s been so far since I‘ve been farming and this year’s certainly been the driest on record that’s for sure.” Like many farmers, Mr Kernich has had to purchase hay for his livestock. “Hay’s getting pretty hard to get a hold of and grain prices are high, so you don’t want to feed them any more grain than you have to either,” Mr Kernich said. “We paid roughly $ 450 a tonne [for oats and hay], probably double the money it should be worth.”

Heavy rains in Adelaide

Adelaide, meanwhile, has had its wettest day in 2 years, with 38mm falling on the city in the past 24 hours. The The South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to calls about water coming through roofs, and there have been several reports of minor flooding in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.