This week's rain brought a welcome relief for farmers worried about drying pastures - but more is needed.

While the Bay of Plenty and Waikato received good falls, the Hauraki/Coromandel and Rotorua regions were not so fortunate, reports Federated Farmers.

Farmers want more rain to help soak dry pastures.

About 40mm fell on Bay of Plenty provincial president John Scrimgeour's Te Puke farm.

In Rotorua however only 16mm fell and towards the south of the district it was more like 5mm offering very little relief, but 'it settled the dust,” says Federated Farmers provincial president, Neil Heather.

Across the Waikato, between 10-50mm of rain fell compared to the total rainfall for January of just 15mm. Many dairy farms are now on once a day milking and dry stock farms were getting short of feed.

'More rain is needed but this is welcome,” said provincial president James Houghton.

Hauraki/Coromandel farmers report 20mm of rain towards Thames but more is desperately needed given strong winds, high temperatures and humidity.

'All the puddles have gone,” says Ciaran Tully Federated Farmers Sharemilkers chairman.

Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President says rain throughout the country early this week was a welcome brief break in the current dry spell.

'The rain only rolled into the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne on February 5, but drizzle continued throughout most of the day. As it takes time to soften parched soils, gentle steady rain is far better than a sudden heavy downpour.

'At this time of the year plants can lose over 6mm of water every day through transpiration. While we have been granted several weeks' breathing room in the Hawke's Bay, elsewhere, it may only be a few days.

'Another front like the one we just had could almost get farmers through to early autumn.

'This is a mild El Nino summer exactly as predicted so the rain is a reprieve that will help regenerate grass, crops and morale. It will have no immediate impact on dead grass on dry slopes until autumn kicks growth off,” he says.

The rains should help to recharge some farm dams and waterways and this could take the pressure of irrigation bans in some parts of the country.