Rural Australia has been hurting from the 15-20 year drought... the cockies dont have money to spend, once the drought breaks, the cockie comes back, they boost employment, and spending in those rural areas, including housing.....watch for a resurge in prices, when the rain comes, so does confidence...... .............................................. Rains will flood economy with money Asa Wahlquist, Rural writer From: The Australian January 02, 2010 12:00AM RAINS that drenched inland NSW, flooding rivers and plains, could bring a boost worth billions of dollars to the rural economy, with farmers hopeful of two seasons of good crops and plentiful feed for livestock.
The Darling River, drying before Christmas, is filled to its banks after a week of rain in the north of the state, with more falls predicted over coming days.
Rory Treweeke, the chair of the Western Catchment Management Authority, which covers the northwestern quarter of NSW, reckons the floods could be worth more than $100 million to his region alone. "For those of us who are floodplain croppers, once we have had a flood on our country, we can probably look forward to a couple of good years of crops," he said.
Farmers from the region, including Bourke Mayor Andrew Lewis, said the rains would bring certainty to both crop farmers and those who run livestock.
"The irrigators know they can finish their summer crop and plant a winter crop now. Graziers know they can take their stock through, without having to sell them.
