While Friday brought more rain to the region cropping farmers were enjoying the break from the two weeks that had provided a “dream run” for harvest to date.
With cereals well chomped through in the unprecedented hot extremes of late January, this season’s harvest was well ahead of its time.
“It’s pretty much been a dream run this season, we have been very lucky with the weather and day after day we could just get on with the job of harvesting,” Mid Canterbury cropper Jim Sim said.
Grass and peas were all done, and the last of the cereal crops was finished on January 31, leaving just clover and fresh corn to do when they came ready.
“I’m never into cereal before February but I’m all done at the end of January,” Sim said.
Despite yields being down on what he anticipated, he was happy.
“The crops did look brilliant, they had no shortage of water and I did expect to get a higher yield than what came off but look, that’s the way it goes and I’m not complaining.”
Sim put the lower yield down to the heat.
“We have had exceptional heat, it was just too hot this year.”
He welcomed the rain as he now prepared the crop paddocks for pasture and winter feed.
Further south in Waimate, Federated Farmers arable industry chairman Guy Wigley was also very happy with the season so far.
“I think it was six days on the trot before rain stopped me at about 2am on Thursday, then at 5am I left for Wellington for a Feds meeting.”
Ironically he was still in the city on Friday morning with all planes grounded because of the high winds and rain.
“Yes I’m itching to get home but it won’t be for the harvest in the next few days.”
But he was not grumbling.
“We have had good dry harvesting conditions in late January and that has put harvest two weeks ahead and we have had some huge tonnages.
“There are a lot of farmers very pleased to have a lot of crop in their bins dry.”
However Wigley cautioned hot grain would need to be cooled for storage.
“The bulk of crops harvested over the past couple of weeks in Canterbury has been done in 30C temperatures and that will sweat in the silo.”
Wigley said cold grains harvested at 17% moisture would store safely but hot grain harvested at 15% or below in the extreme temperatures of last week would need cooling.
“I was harvesting wheat at 12%, which is extraordinary for South Canterbury, so farmers just need to be aware and keep an eye on what’s happening in the silo.”
Arable industry grains chairman Brian Leadley was also “pretty happy” with how the harvest was shaping up.
“Though the gale force winds on Thursday blew the red beet around a bit. I did get the header out to see if I could save it but with the high winds it just wasn’t a safe exercise.
“There is a bit around the fence lines but it’s not going to be a total loss.”
As for the harvest season in general, despite the battles to keep irrigation up to crops during the heat of November and into December, it’s been a good run for the harvest.
“Yields are back even on irrigated crops given the struggle to keep water up to them, which has done a little more damage than we anticipated and there is obviously disappointment in that respect but we are not hearing talk of disaster crops.
“Humidity has been up and the baling guys have battled with that but on the whole it’s pretty bloody positive,” Leadley said.
