Green paddocks mask lingering drought

Green grass is breaking through across drought-hit NSW. (Supplied: Belinda Dimarzo-Bryan) Link copiedShareShare articleA splash of green has returned to paddocks across New South Wales that were bare and barren just weeks ago, but the drought isn't over. The stereotypical scenes of drought: dusty landscapes, dry dams and livestock crowding around hay and grain has been the case across much of the state throughout 2026. But now, farmers are facing a different challenge. A green drought. A green tinge is returning to many parts of the state, but farmers say they are not out of the woods yet. (ABC: Ross McLoughlin) A brown drought, masked by deceptive green grass. You'd be forgiven for thinking the short green shoots, or green pick, coming through mean a drought is over, but it is just the first step in recovering. After falls of about 100 millimetres in the space of a week last month, grass is there and it is green but it lacks nutritional value, because the soil is still depleted. Farmers are continuing to handfeed stock, despite green grass peeking through. (ABC Rural: Amelia Bernasconi) Animal nutritionist Jill Kelly said the deceptive green grass could cause livestock to lose condition quickly. "That green pick looks great but it's probably 80 to 90 per cent moisture, so it's water," Dr Kelly said. "It's like trying to live on watermelon. "You've got to eat a huge volume of it in order to maintain yourself, particularly at this really critical time of year where we've got a lot of lambing, calving and lactating animals." On top of the energy needed for females to produce milk and raise offspring, Dr Kelly said all animals were at risk of losing weight as they "chased feed", walking to eat more to try to feel full. Jill Kelly says she understands the temptation to put livestock back on pastures, but is urging farmers not to act too quickly. (Supplied: Jill Kelly) Dr Kelly is urging farmers against the temptation of letting animals back on paddocks too quickly. "I hate the thought of letting them out, letting them chase pick, letting them lose weight, running out of feed in three weeks anyway and then having to feed them again and they've dropped a few kilos in the process, but I do get the temptation. She said grazing on short grass stopped the plants' ability to grow properly. "Imagine every leaf is like a solar panel and so with limited sunlight, if we've got some overcast or some colder winter June days, we really want every leaf on that plant to be doing its absolute maximum to capture sunlight and to get plant growth," Dr Kelly said. The landscapes across much of drought-hit NSW has dramatically changed in recent weeks. (ABC Rural: Amelia Bernasconi) In the first four months of this year, more than half a million head of cattle were sold through the saleyards, with many areas setting new daily records with the incredible volume of cattle offloaded from farms. Dr Kelly said the recent rain had come about two months too late and made things even more complex. "We're finding it is actually more difficult to make decisions with livestock right now than we were three months ago," she said. Many farmers have been selling off cattle due to the intense dry conditions. (ABC Rural: Amelia Bernasconi) While deceiving green grass lacking nutrients is challenging for livestock producers, it is no walk in the park for grain growers either. Soil and pasture agronomist Drew Walsh said the naked eye could not spot all the changes that happen to soil during a dry spell. Organic matter, plant residues and some soil fungi break down, releasing a fatty, waxy compound, which then coats the soil particles. "It literally repels water," Mr Walsh said. The green has been a welcome sight, but farmers know it is still a long road ahead. (ABC Rural: Amelia Bernasconi) "It takes a bit of time and sustained gentle soaking to break down that waxy barrier but a sudden, heavy downpour on hydrophobic soil just causes massive runoff and erosion and leaves our subsoil dry." While many cropping farmers have taken an educated punt on sowing a late winter crop off the back of recent rain, they will need much more through the season for the root systems to grow and support healthy crops. "It's a race between the seedling trying to punch its way up and the sun drying out the topsoil." Drew Walsh says moisture in the top layers of the soil is disappearing quickly, with ongoing warmer-than-average temperatures. (Supplied: Drew Walsh) The rain activates the seed's metabolism, initiating germination. "It shoots down a radical, which is the primary root, and sends up a shoot. Cattle farmer Susannah Simpson runs Fernlee Station at Ashford, in northern NSW. While she is enjoying a greener picture out the window, she knows the drought is far from broken. Susannah Simpson is grateful her view has changed from dusty paddocks, but knows she is not out of trouble yet. (ABC Rural: Lara Webster) She is continuing to se

Green paddocks mask lingering drought

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