26-05-2025
Farmers say only a 'good, wet winter' will break drought conditions across SA
South Australian farmers have welcomed the rain but say a "one-hit wonder" will not break the drought, which is devastating parts of the state.
Strong winds up to 107 kilometres per hour hit parts of the state's mainland on Monday, with much of the Mid North, Riverland and Murray Mallee experiencing significant dust storms before any rain hit.
Dust storms were also reported at the northern ends of the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas.
While higher rainfall totals were reported in coastal areas and around the Adelaide Hills, the Bureau of Meterology said more inland regions like the Mid North and Riverland had less than 5 millimetres.
SA Dairyfarmers' Association president Rob Brokenshire said the industry was desperate for rain "but didn't need a storm like this".
"We've had flooding on our paddocks that we've seeded — they're pretty bare so some washing occurring," he said.
"What we wanted was a good, steady soaking of rain.
"We had 20mm at Mount Compass in just 15 minutes and it flooded paddocks like you wouldn't believe. Now we've got wind, I just hope we don't get storm damage.
"Hopefully our cows will be okay but they haven't seen weather like this for quite some time — that does have an impact on them."
He said the rain from the storm will not be a "one-day fix" for the drought and could take farmers up to three years to get back on their feet.
"What we need is a good, wet winter and a long, wet spring," he said.
On the Eyre Peninsula, the storm brought little reprieve – locals have reported receiving between 5-10mm of rain.
And in Poochera, a grain belt town some 60 kilometres north-east of Streaky Bay, as elsewhere in the region, the minimal rain has done little hold down the dry soil.
Poochera local Rebecca Gosling said her home had 1.4mm of rain, and the storm had only brought wind which picked up the topsoil and threw it across the region.
"It's just gone," Ms Gosling said.
"The topsoil is just disappearing. There's no moisture holding anything down and everything's been so dry for so long.
"I took video footage yesterday of a paddock we sowed a few days ago and even the furrows are gone in a day."
Ms Gosling said she gave up vacuuming and sweeping at her home where the dust had become "too much to keep on top of".
Grain Producer SA chief executive Brad Perry said grain producers were reliant on rain.
"They'll take what they can get but given the amount of rain we've had [on Monday], it's been a bit of a fizzer to be honest," he said.
"It's quite heartbreaking to see that top soil blowing around when they've just seeded.
"They spent time and money putting those crops in hoping we would get the rainfall that was forecast and unfortunately we've had more wind than rain.
"We need a lot of rain — this is not the breaking rain that we were hoping for."
