That is the warning from the Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke who is concerned for livestock farmers particularly over the coming months if wet weather doesn’t arrive.

“It’s been a very long, dry summer,” Mr Jochinke said. “For cropping it’s not been too bad, but for livestock farmers we’re really heading into a critical time.

“Livestock farmers really depend on good, soaking rain so they can carry livestock.

“Traditionally we get a break in May, but we really do need a significant drop over the next couple of weeks, if we get to June without any decent rainfall, there will be some major concerns.”

Mr Jochinke said one of the biggest issues could be if the weather turns cold before decent rain.

“When it’s warm, anything will grow, but if the cold weather comes without the rainfall, it really does slow down growth,” he said.

“At this stage we need to look to the sky and hope. I’m confident we will get good rain, but for many farmers it will be a test of resilience.”

Burrumbeet farmer Justin Hobson said farmers are in desperate need of a break.

“I reckon it’s pretty critical now and as the days get colder, not much is going to grow,” he said.

“It’s hard, but you’ve just got to stay positive. My dad always said every day it doesn’t rain, means you get closer to a day that it does.”

It has been an unusually hot April in the region, but Ballarat looks unlikely to break the all time record for the month.

The average temperature for this month has been 21.7 degrees, just .1 of a degree lower than the all-time record set in 2005. One record that has been broken this month is the hottest day ever recorded in April, which occurred April 11 when the mercury rose to 32.2 degrees. 

That followed an unseasonably warm spell of four days in a row above 26 degrees, the second warmest April stretch ever.

But farmers waiting for an early May break in weather might have to wait a bit longer with forecasts of 21, 22 and 21 degrees for the first three days of the new month.

BOM Senior forecaster Stephen King said there is potential for some showers towards the end of the week.

“We will have warmer days ahead of that,” he said. “It is unusual for the early part of May to have forecasts in the 20s, but we’ve had a warm April, so it’s not completely surprising.

“It does look like there are a few cold nights on the horizon.”

The Bureau of Meterology has predicted a 50-50 weather pattern throughout winter which means there is as much chance as above average rainfall as there is below.