HEAVY falls in western Victoria early this week are likely to do more harm than good, further compromising pasture and channeling little run-off into farm dams.
Sheep graziers in the Ararat area said the rain would do little to slow destocking or the reduction of flocks down to a breeding nucleus.
The rain follows the third-driest year on record, according to Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources senior research scientist Steve Clark.
"December's rain brought the year's final total to 475.6 millimetres compared to the long-term average of 686.3mm," Mr Clark said.
"Last year was, therefore, the third-driest year we have had after 1967 (with 378.4mm) and 1982 (431.0mm).
"The total for the period from August 1 to December 31 was only 146.6mm - the lowest ever."
The previous low was 152.4mm in 1982 while the average for the period was 318.4mm.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the rain was a result of a low-pressure system south-east of Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
An associated surface trough moved across western and into central Victoria.
It brought falls of more than 65mm at Dartmoor and Hamilton while on the coast 75mm fell at Macarthur.
But for many graziers, the rain was "too little, too late".
Ararat grazier Charlie de Fegely said there had been heavy soaking rain in the area but any feed on the ground was likely to be "shot".
Graziers had lost perennial grasses, which were unlikely to regenerate because of the ongoing dry.
"It's almost that north of the Glenelg Highway south to Hamilton is not too bad but the the Avoca district is terrible," Mr de Fegely said.
Rabobank Hamilton rural manager Dion Brook said it was unlikely the rain would result in much run-off into dams.
Sally Davis, Samui stud, Lake Bolac, said they had managed to keep all their Merino and White Suffolk flock, although they were now in containment pens.
"We had 62mm in the past 10 days and we are calling it water from heaven because we didn't have any drinking water," Ms Davis said.
"The rain flattened all the dry feed - there wasn't much of it anyway because of the storms.
"The crops that haven't been harvested will be downgraded and we are just questioning whether or not the break is too early.
"Because we haven't had rain for some time, it has soaked straight in so there is no run-off."
Craig Hinchcliffe, who runs Poll Dorsets at Glenlee, Ararat, said he was one of a number of graziers who had cut stocking rates.
"We've scaled back things until we get some feed," Mr Hinchcliffe said.
Heavy rainfall on depleted soils could result in dam-filling run-off but has also killed off any remaining pasture.
"I know there are guys who have been carting water for a fair while but the more exhausted the soil is, the more run-off you get."
But for beef producers it's been the moment they have been waiting for.
The widespread rain - drought-breaking in parts - might finally put an end to the "great cattle price depression".
The Victorian weaner sales, buyer pressure at saleyard venues such as Tamworth (NSW) and Roma (Queensland) and this week's surge by the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) deep into 400-cents-a-kilogram territory all suggest the rains have broken the hoodoo that has been hanging over cattle prices since 2012.
The 10 days of widespread rain that announced 2015 came from an unusual confluence of events that happen only every few years.
It was "unlikely" the same conditions would occur again this summer, said BOM climatologist David Jones, "but everything is possible."