(as of time of writing)
For a lot of Mallee farmers, the timing could hardly be better. Most have now finished seeding, or are very close to it, and a decent autumn rain after the seed is in the ground is exactly the sort of start you hope for. It is the sort of rain that can help settle the country, freshen up paddocks, and give crops a handy early kick along.
Apart from the ongoing sting of fuel prices, which never seems to give anyone on the land much of a break - many farmers have had a pretty good run into seeding this year. Conditions have been workable, machinery has been able to get across paddocks, and now the forecast rain could put a bit of moisture underneath what has already gone in.
Of course, as every farmer knows, forecast rain and actual rain are two very different things. Around here, we have all watched plenty of promising weather maps fall apart before they got to the Mallee. But with BOM predicting up to 20mm on Saturday, there will be plenty of people watching the radar and hoping this one delivers.
For locals, it might mean a damp Saturday around town. For Mallee farms, it could be a very welcome drink at just the right time.