TWO months after featuring as Queensland's "forgotten" farmers on the Queensland Country Life cover, Thallon landholders Theresa and Antony Pilcher have received 86 millimetres of rain on a glorious Easter weekend.
"All the dams are full and so is our optimism," Theresa said from Leithmore, 16 kilometres south of Thallon, on Tuesday.
"We will be planting as we have been luckier than others with previous falls and do have some subsoil moisture and are even looking at locking in some chickpea hectare contract.
"There is a touch of hesitation as we received rain like this at the end of March last year and then it didn't rain again all winter.
"We have better subsoil moisture this year though."
On a more personal note, Theresa is excited to have both house dams full and is planting lawn seed in abundance.
She said the falls were still patchy in the district, with some only receiving 50mm. Down the road at Myall Plains, Nindigully, Ian and Sally Rigney measured 80mm and said it was by far their biggest fall in three years.
"There was even a turtle in the garage," Sally said.
The Rigneys had just 125mm during 2014 and Sally said the weekend rain would not be enough to plant a winter crop.
"What it has given us is hope that maybe there will be a winter cropping season for us," she said. "Two weeks ago we would have told you we were looking at our third failed cropping season in a row."
At Dunbarr, Weengallon, Ian's parents, Ken and Lyn Rigney, had 120mm.
"That is lighter red country and we'll be going in to plant oats there," Sally said.
The annual Flinton races were cancelled on Easter Saturday after up to 150mm in the area over night.
Penelope Arthur
Journalist for Queensland Country Life at Roma.
Journalist for Queensland Country Life at Roma.
