While many growers around the Moree district are waiting on rain before they risk planting this season, a number have been lucky enough to sow on moisture following rainfall a few weeks ago, while others have taken a gamble and are dry-sowing.
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At the start of the month, Moree received about 20 millimetres of rain, which was enough to spur on a number of growers to sow into moisture, according to McGregor Gourlay Moree branch manager Mick Jensen.
"Some have been sowing on moisture, depending on where the rain was ... mostly to the east of the highway," he said.
"There are patches to the west depending on where the rain has fallen, but most are holding off until we get more rain.
"We definitely need follow-up rain to make anything of it."
Moree's Stuart Gall is one grower who decided to take a risk and dry-plant wheat and barley "on a wing and a prayer".
He is currently dry-sowing 1,000 hectares of Suntop wheat on his 'Tycannah' property, just south of Moree, which he runs with wife Karen, along with his brother James Gall and his wife Anna.
"At the moment we're just doing 1,000 hectares and we'll wait and see," he said.
"If rain comes we'll keep going, but if not, that's all we're going to do."
Mr Gall also dry-planted about 500ha of Sparticus barley just before the 17mm of rain 'Tycannah' received three weeks ago.
As a result, the barley has germinated well.
"It will need follow-up rain in three to four weeks or it could be game over," Mr Gall said.
Mr Gall is now hoping it rains "the minute we finish planting", however said he has about a six-week window for follow-up rain.
"In six weeks I'd like to see rain but the sooner the better," he said.
"Last year we did the same - dry-sowed everything. It was not germinated until the first of July rains and it still yielded okay. But we had a subsoil profile. This year there's next to none.
"We need 30 to 50mm to get the crops out of the ground, with a follow-up three weeks after, which will get us through until September. We'll need more rain then."
However, there's currently no rain forecast until at least the end of May.
The Galls have kept meticulous records of rainfall at 'Tycannah', dating back to 1899, and Mr Gall said the past 12 months has been the driest on record.
"This is the worst year we've ever had," he said.
With no subsoil moisture, the planting area was significantly reduced this year - usually four to five times the land is planted, depending on the season.
Mr Gall is also hoping to put chickpeas in this year, but is waiting on planting rain first.
"I have through until the first week of August after rain for chickpeas," he said.
The Galls are also currently feeding their livestock, with numbers reduced 20 to 25 per cent of what they normally run. With their cows calving, they are having to feed them daily, although Mr Gall said the mild autumn weather has made feeding easier.
"Once it gets cold we need to feed more, as they use up more energy trying to stay warm," he said.
"So this mild weather is good for livestock but not for crops out of the ground."
