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[ad_1] Image copyright EPA Image caption Rain clouds are a welcome sight for Australian farmers Many drought-stricken regions in Australia have finally received much-needed rain in recent days. Parts of New South Wales (NSW) - a state declared to be 100% in drought - have enjoyed their best rainfalls in two years, according to meteorologists. But while the drenching has provided some relief, forecasters say it is nowhere near enough. Farming regions in NSW and Queensland have been bone dry for months - years in some cases - meaning there is no quick fix to end the drought. So what would it take? First, it depends on how you define drought Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) measures it in terms of "rainfall deficiency" - a period when precipitation is deemed to be below average. This year, rainfal...

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[ad_1] SYDNEY: Australia had its driest September on record last month, and though spring rains are forecast this week across parts of the continent's east that has seen the worst drought in years, the season is predicted to offer little relief from the dry weather. The country's east coast has recorded less than a fifth of its typical rainfall over the last three months to September and is barren, with winter crops failed and graziers buying in grain to feed their herds. Wheat production has been cut to its lowest in a decade, the wool clip and wine crush are set to drop and the drought has already swung crop protection company Nufarm Ltd to an annual loss. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday the year so far is the second-driest recorded in the country's biggest river catchment, the Murray-Darling since records began in 1900, and last month was the driest September logged. That's pushed soil moisture, which can take months to replenish, "very ...