Farmers in parts of north-west NSW are enjoying near-perfect conditions after recent heavy rainfall. Others in parts of the state's west are preparing to be isolated by flooding as crops are sowed and dam’s fill.
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00:00It's been an erratic time for Australian farmers, with floods devastating cattle stations
00:09up north and dry conditions baking the landscape down south.
00:14But over in the New South Wales North West, Mother Nature has been a little kinder.
00:19There's a lot more abundance of food within the ground, I've just noticed the birds are
00:24starting to breed up again.
00:25Ian Smith has just seen more than 200 millimetres of rain in a month.
00:31For us it can not rain for 10 months, the amount of body of feed we've got here we're pretty
00:35right, which is a big, big, big relief.
00:38For the past three months conditions around parts of the Western Plains and north-west New
00:44South Wales have been dry, but in the last month above average rainfall is turning mud
00:49into money.
00:50For farmers around these districts that means security, especially for those about to plant
00:57winter crops.
00:58There's a long way to go before winter crops like wheat, barley and chickpeas make it to
01:04the silos.
01:05But the optimism among farmers around Canamble and Walgett is infectious.
01:09I'm sure this year there'll be a lot of money put back through towns and communities and
01:14stuff with a good season ahead.
01:16Further north, flooding is bringing the land back to life in Lightning Ridge, along with
01:21the dams.
01:22Of that 281 mills, the back dams are now full to the brim and we just haven't seen it since
01:28we've pretty much moved here and it's heartwarming.
01:31And nature isn't the only thing being revived by the rain.
01:35In times where the population is declining in Lightning Ridge and rural areas full stop,
01:41tourism is just booming.
01:44Putting a hop in people's step just in time for Easter.