With most farmers in southern Queensland looking down the barrel of the best harvest in the past four years, it seems they can't seem to take a trick, as rain has fallen in time to disrupt their harvesting.
Lynelle Urquhart, Warrowa, Moonie, received 15 millimetres last Tuesday and another 8mm in a storm on Wednesday evening.
Mrs Urquhart said the wet weather was enough to call a halt to their harvesting plans for the next couple of days.
"It was nice rain and badly needed - but, oh, the joys of farming, we are about halfway through our harvest," she said.
A spokeswoman at the Francis Hotel at Thallon said rainfall reports in their district had been variable from 2mm to 15mm also bringing harvest to a halt.
Sally Nicol-Rigney, Myall Plains, Thallon, said they received 25mm on Wednesday night, plus hail at the homestead.
"We are three-quarters the way through our harvest and the remaining crop is towards the back of the property which only received 7mm without the hail, so hopefully, we will be back at it on Friday afternoon," she said.
Ms Nicol-Rigney said after some of the toughest driest years, they never knock back rain, even at harvest time.
"We knew we would be in for a wet harvest, so we prepared for it and went very hard for the first nine days," she said.
Talwood graingrower Luke Arbuckle, Warrandine, said harvest has definitely come to a grinding halt for him after 35mm of rain plus hail yesterday on the back of 15mm received on Sunday.
He said that Wednesday's storm produced 28mm with storm winds and hail in 40 minutes, giving some minor hail damage, then further rain.
"I haven't got around the whole crop to access any additional damage yet," he said.
Other grain growers who Queensland Country Life spoke to also went hard during harvesting as they too were expecting a wet harvest and have finished, and now they are rejoicing the rain to allow the moisture to absorb in their paddocks.
On the parched Darling Downs, the Bureau of Meteorology reports that the Felton district has received 12mm, Allora 7, Warwick 10, while Toowoomba Airport recorded 15.6mm.
Peter Bredhauer, Cottonwood Park Stud, Cambooya, has received 15mm over two days over his parched paddocks.
"It will be enough to lay the dust for the day," Mr Bredhauer said.
Paula Craig, situated on the western side of Toowoomba has received 25mm in two falls since Wednesday.
BoM forecaster Peter Clarkson said due to the La Nina season, there is a 70 per cent chance of seeing above average rainfall through to November.
"We have a trough moving through and approaching the coast in the next few days and moving through Sunday into Monday, but as that trough moves through that weather will be enhanced in that region, so the weather will pick up again," Mr Clarkson said.
Showers and thunderstorms are predicted to affect southern Queensland again from Sunday.
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
