They are making the most of every hour of sunshine to get the crops in, but waves of rain after fine spells are not helping.
Damp and flattened crops remain a problem with sprouting a concern and harvesters are having to be towed out from saturated paddocks.
The harvest is up to three weeks late with growers yet to fully count up the costs, but some of them are already down more than $100,000.
Federated Farmers Arable chairman Colin Hurst said farmers were watching weather reports ‘‘like a hawk’’ to try to salvage a harvest season described by some of them as the worst in living memory.
He said they were still trying to catch up as they would normally be through most of the harvest by mid-February.
‘‘For us personally we’ve written off a pea crop that’s worth $60,000 and there’s another $60,000 of losses with other crops, but it’s probably too early to tell. [Canterbury] grows a big chunk of white clover and there were reports of very little white clover harvested.’’
Yields were already back after a dull December.
Mr Hurst said they needed everything to dry out, but rain last week slowed down harvesting.
‘‘Mid Canterbury is really affected and it’s just a huge frustration. You get a couple of good days of weather and then you get some rain and it resets the clock and you need the crops to dry out.’’
During a two-day stint he worked from the early morning to 3.30am and then started again at 10.30am before another southerly change arrived at 2pm on his farm near Makihihi in South Canterbury. But the biscuit wheat crop has shown signs of sprouting and is unlikely to be marketed as milling wheat.
About 240mm of rain has fallen the past three months on his property which normally captures nearly 600mm a year.
Across the industry, there is concern that wheat crops which turned black in Mid and North Canterbury will create a shortage of good quality grain to turn into flour.
Farmer feedback from Canterbury and flooded parts of the Wairarapa are that up to half of pea crops have been ruined.
Mr Hurst said growers were trying to remain positive and there were some reports of some crops which had tested well.
‘‘If the weather comes right it’s amazing what can be done. Part of the problem is everything is ready and we can only do one paddock at a time.’’
Conditions are a far cry from the start of the harvest when early Nui and other ryegrass seed crops were harvested during a fine window in January.
The challenging harvest has been compounded by a labour shortage, not helped by Lincoln University students returning to their studies.
Harvested crops with a high moisture content still have to be dried out, with drying facilities in high demand.
Abandoned ryegrass, wheat and barley crops will in some cases rule out straw making for dairy operations — an important income.
Once the harvest is completed growers will then hope the ground dries out enough to put in feed crops for wintering stock.
