Crombies at Winton among landholders still looking for rain

But gee, it's been hard to maintain that faith as recent good storm influences have passed them by.

They are among a group of properties in the district that storms largely bypassed last week, showing the patchy nature of the weather systems in force.

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Speaking from the yards where they were lambmarking and wet and drying a mob of not-station-mated ewes they'd purchased earlier in the year after selling wethers, Noni Crombie described their situation as 'limping'.

In last week's change the Crombies tipped 5mm of rain out of their gauge, which came on top of 25mm that fell a week earlier.

Peter Crombie said that any grass that had some life in it, which was not much, had kicked a bit on the strength of the first fall.

The grass butts they do have are survivors - not only has the region been drought declared since the middle of 2013 but many properties in the Winton area, Drumlion included, have been prey to grasshopper attacks in recent years.

Mr Crombie said that in 2019 they'd had two falls of rain of 75mm each but grasshoppers had consumed all the feed that grew as a result.

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"Because the pasture was already run down from the lack of rain, it struggled to regrow," he said. "A lot of our grass didn't come back from (the grasshopper invasion)."

Winton landholders who have been fortunate enough to receive good rain are reporting that grasshoppers are again making an appearance on the new feed.

The Crombies are running 2000 sheep on their 20,235ha property and have all their cattle away on agistment.

"There's not many cattle left, after nine years of drought," Mr Crombie said. "They've been on agistment on 24 different properties in those nine years."

At Moree, where one mob is stationed, there's feed up to a person's waist, Mr Crombie, who has been receiving pictures of the cattle, said.

Another mob is at Barcaldine, which recorded 100mm of rain last week.

"To get rain in November and December is pretty lucky - you don't plan on it," Mr Crombie said. "Hopefully we'll get some soon - it gives you a longer season that way."

Noni Crombie said one of the things that had really shocked them was how many of their trees had begun dying, mature vinetrees among them.

"We're losing our shade," she said.

She added that it was wonderful to see rain around.

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