THE heavens have finally opened up for many of South Australia's pastoralists gripped by drought for more than a decade.
There has been serious flooding in the north east corner of the State, with Innamincka having close to 300 millimetres for the year and water flowing into Lake Eyre for the second consecutive year.
Many valuable breeding stock sent away for agistment during the prolonged dry have returned to areas which have gone from red dust to growing high-protein feed in a couple of months.
With green feed returning, station owners are optimistic about beginning to rebuild their herds and flocks.
But it will be a long road to recovery for many producers only at a third of their optimal carrying capacity, according to Primary Industries and Resources South Australia's drought coordinator Liz Connell.
She said the rain patterns were looking more positive, but follow-up winter rain was needed.
"The thunderstorms have been patchy, so it is only the start of a recovery," Ms Connell said.
Most pastoralists are opting to breed their numbers up, rather than buy-in livestock because of the uncertainty of the seasons and to give their land a chance to regenerate.
The National Rural Advisory Council toured the regions last week and will soon make a decision about its continued Exceptional Circumstances status, which is due to end in mid-June.
Near-record sheep prices have kept many station owners' hands tied in the Flinders Ranges, but they are already enjoying good lambing percentages and will look to double lambings to rebuild their flocks.
The Broken Hill area has been transformed. After howling dust storms last October, some stations found themselves cut off by flooding earlier in the year after thunderstorms brought up to 125mm.
Elders Broken Hill branch manager Ian Jaensch described it as the best start to the year since 1992, although there were still isolated pockets between Broken Hill and Tibboburra in need of rain.
He estimated that 80 per cent of the livestock which had been agisted from Eyre Peninsula across to western Victoria had been trucked back into those areas, although some pastoralists were "letting the country get away first".
"Last year, we were struggling to find agistment now we have feed to burn," he said.
After little buying in for the past five years Mr Jaensch says "thousands" of cattle have been purchased from the Gascoyne area of Western Australia and around Alice Springs to be grown out and fattened on flood out country to generate a quick cash flow.
Because of the difficulty of sourcing steers, these had been mainly heifers, at about 240 kilograms to 260kg, to minimise freight costs.
Elders' Alice Springs branch manager Peter 'Herbie' Neville says it is the best season in a decade with the highest falls east and north east of Alice Springs - up to 650mm since Christmas.
Mr Neville estimated that herd numbers were down 30pc across the region, but he believed most stations were looking to gradually rebuild their numbers, rather than buy-in stock.
Elders Alice Springs had been quoted prices for bulls from across the country, however many clients were waiting until their first branding to get an accurate indicator of female numbers before replenishing their sire batteries.
* Full report in Stock Journal, April 15 issue.
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