MAJOR parts of Queensland have received a welcome reprieve, with significant falls of rain lifting hopes in many parts of the state.
While the falls are no where near ending the long running drought crisis, the promise of up to 25mm for a large swathe of the state during the next week has some producers hoping for a dramatic change in seasonal conditions.
Brendon and Rhiannon Finger, Telarah, Clermont, received 55mm of rain during the past fortnight, giving their kids a rare chance to play in mud.
"We're feeling very grateful and hoping there is more rain on the way for everyone," Ms Finger said.
Kingaroy cattle producer Mike Bishop, who was featured on Queensland Country Life on his drought stricken property prior to Christmas, received a game changing 140mm in four falls.
"The difference in 48 hours is just amazing," Mr Bishop said. "It is just wonderful to have all of the dams full and the grass finally growing."
The rain has already resulted in a big lift in cattle prices as pastures respond. Both steer and heifers prices jumped by 20-30c/kg live weight as fortunate producers seek to capitalise on the break.
Sheep prices also appear to be on the rise, but remain tempered by the still tough conditions in many western areas.
Elders manager in Longreach, Tim Salter, said the situation in the central west remained grim.
While there was an excellent strip of country running from Morella south west to Stonehenge and across to Isisford, the bulk of the region running from Blackall to Winton remained in a desperate situation.
"There's probably about 15pc of the region as good as you could see," Mr Salter said. "However, about 70pc of the central west is either destocked or is only running about 25pc of livestock."
More than 67 per cent of Queensland remains drought declared.
AgForce president Georgie Somerset said while there were plenty of excellent 100mm falls, and even extraordinary 300mm dumps in parts of the South Burnett, the rainfall had generally been patchy.
"If you got under it you were very fortunate, but when you miss out, there are just not words for it," Ms Somerset said. "The reality is we have a significant four year rainfall deficit - up to 1000mm in some areas. And its the Maranoa through to Brisbane - a lot of our grain growing area - with the greatest deficit."
AgForce remains at war with the Palaszczuk government over its response to the drought crisis.
"Everything about the government's slow, inflexible, inadequate and off-handed response to the ever-worsening drought indicates they don't understand the scale of the problem," said AgForce's Drought Working Group chair Mark Collins said.
Everything about the government's slow, inflexible, inadequate and off-handed response to the ever-worsening drought indicates they don't understand the scale of the problem.
- Mark Collins, AgForce Drought Working Group
"It doesn't matter how bad people out here are hurting, they just won't listen," Mr Collins said.
"Primary producers are at their wits' end - water and feed are being trucked in at great expense, herds are being laboriously hand fed, calves are being weaned early or put down, farm businesses are going under - but it appears that the government is asleep at the wheel.
"And when farm businesses die - when our cash flow dries up - so do the rural communities that depend on the dollars that farmers spend in town.
"The government can't seem to understand the scale of the unfolding disaster and have no idea how to respond. They are just spinning their wheels in the bulldust."
Mr Collins said to add injury to insult, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk went onto Alan Jones' Sky News program in October to ask for new ones.
He said AgForce provided a list of solutions that would make a "real difference".
"In particular, we recommended a waiver on land rent and vehicle registration costs, financial support to allow councils to provide rate relief, and additional funding for pest and weed control," he said.
"All of these would be relatively quick and simple to implement, are within the government's authority, and would provide immediate relief for financially stressed farm businesses.
"Despite this - and the fact that the premier said publicly she would meet with farmers to discuss ideas - it took us over a month just to secure a briefing with her, and a further month to get a reply.
"The letter when it finally came - only after we told them industry could wait no more - was an insult to farmers and to regional Queensland."
Mr Collins said regional Queensland was dying because of the drought and because of the government's inexcusable inaction, on top of the general disregard it showed to those living outside the south east corner.
"This is nothing short of shameful in a state that has a long history of excellent governance of agriculture on both sides of politics," Mr Collins said.