He said Wanganui farmers - mostly sheep and beef - were still very concerned about the dry conditions.
"Stock water is a problem, as streams and rivers are often just a trickle now. There's rough grazing on some farms, but the quality has gone down."
Mr Matthews said facial eczema was a real risk, as spore counts were increasing and temperatures were still mild.
"All it would take would be a decent shower and we would have a problem."
He said Federated Farmers had not had serious discussions about drought yet in Wanganui. He thought it was likely Wanganui would follow Taranaki's lead.
A light shower fell in Wanganui yesterday around lunch-time - the first rain in the city since February 5 - but it was not enough to wet the ground.
Manawatu-Rangitikei Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard said yesterday that in many areas, conditions were at least as bad as they were five years ago when the region was last officially in drought.
"Especially the Rangitikei. I'm hearing that things have got to the stage where they're as bad as they were in 2008 or worse in many cases."
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said extra government funding would be available to Rural Support Trusts.
Rural assistance payments equivalent to the unemployment benefit are available from the Ministry of Social Development for those in extreme hardship, as well as standard hardship payments.
Mr Guy is watching other dry areas, such as parts of the East Coast, as well as Wairarapa, Manawatu and Taranaki.
Federated Farmers said the moisture deficit is so high in many places that even if it started raining on Wednesday night, it could be about four weeks before grass recovered enough for stock to graze on.