THE region's recent rainfall has prompted some farmers to consider spraying their paddocks from planes due a lack of access for tractors.
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The welcome rain has made some paddocks inaccessible, but has also prompted rapid growth of both broadleaf and grass weeds.
Gunnedah agronomist Jim Hunt said the cost of hiring a plane to spray paddocks would outweigh the damage weeds could cause to soil profiles.
"There is a lot of weeds around at the moment and I know a lot of blokes are having trouble getting to them," Mr Hunt said.
"In my opinion, the cost of hiring a plane to spray out weeds is far outweighed by the cost of nutrient loss in the soil because of the weeds.
"I know a lot of blokes are thinking about going over with a plane and given how wet it is in some places, I don't blame them."
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Tamworth dairy farmer Wes Brown is one such producer who has been unable to spray out his paddocks and he said waiting for the land to dry was a costly exercise.
"I have hired a team of contractors from down south to do some spraying and to plant some oat crops for fodder," Mr Brown said.
"All up, it should only be a three or a four day job.
"However, because it has been so wet, these guys have been up here for 13 days now.
"I suppose it is not a bad problem to have in a lot of ways, but still, it adds up."
Mr Hunt said fodder crops such as oats were among the most frequently planted by farmers in the region.
"There has been a lot of oats planted already and I think there will be quite a bit more if this rain holds off for a little bit," he said.
"At the moment, a lot of paddocks are under water and any more rain will just become run off.
"It's great for stock water and filling up dams, but it doesn't really do much for people's soil profiles.
"What would be ideal is for the rain to ease off for a little while to really let the recent rain soak in.
"That would help build up the soil profiles because at the moment, I don't expect any soil profiles to be completely full."
The recent rain helped Gunnedah record its wettest February in eight years, which Mr Hunt said had filled producers with confidence.
"It's been a terrific start, there's no doubt about it," he said.
"However, there is still a long way to go and soil profiles have to rebound from a prolonged period of drought, which takes time.
"With any luck, the rain will ease off a little bit in the next few days and weeks to allow people to spray out weeds, build up their soil profile and then get some more rain."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
