Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey said there had been enough rain this week to kick off pasture germination, but there would need to be more rain in the next couple of weeks to establish the seedlings and ensure they did not die off.

"Rainfall in March doesn't last as long as in May due to warmer temperatures so frequent rainfall will be required each 14 days to maintain pasture growth," Mr Grey said.

"If this doesn't happen this could be a false break."

A false break was bad news for graziers, he said, because it would use up the seed reserves of the pastures, meaning there would be fewer seeds to germinate in the future.

But he said more rain could allow graziers to grow feed before winter.

Mr Grey said it was too early for croppers to sow most crops yet, but the rain would provide some modest soil moisture.

Rainfall in central Victoria:

Earlier

Central Victorian farmers are thankful for the most recent rain event to hit the region.

While a little earlier than optimal, Diggora West mixed cropping and sheep farmer Geoff Elliott said the rain was still "most welcome".

"It's a good start and it was a worthwhile soak to put some moisture in the soil," Mr Elliott said.

Leichardt farmer Graeme Cornish, who has a cropping and wool production enterprise, said the rain would probably give the paddocks a green tinge.

He said it would be good for the ewes, who were about to start lambing and had been relying on hay and feed.

"I don't think it's going to do anything as far as subsoil moisture, unless we get a follow-up," Mr Cornish said.

Related: Steady rain falls on Bendigo

While the rain wasn't enough to put water in the dams, he said, it would replenish the water tanks, which sometimes contributed to the water carted onto the property.

Bendigo recorded 43 millimetres of rain within 24 hours and Charlton received 24 millimetres.

Mr Elliott said mid-March would have been the optimal time for the rain to hit.

If it arrived too early, he said, the sun could "burn things off", or farmers ended up with summer weeds to contend with.

But this rain event - the biggest Mr Elliott had seen in a while, he said - still provided a jolt of optimism.

"We realise now that it still can rain," he said.

Mr Cornish hoped for more rain, telling the Bendigo Advertiser that the creek running through his property had been dry since 2011.

"We actually need a bloody wet winter," he said.