However some graingrowers in southern Queensland and...

However some graingrowers in southern Queensland and northwestern NSW look to have beaten the rain (and hail) front:

Harvesters work around the clock:

2 days ago

Amelia Bernasconi & Lydia Burton

Grain growers in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland are working around the clock to harvest crops before this weekend's forecast rain.

It is the first decent crop in four years, but a wet harvest could tarnish the money-making end of the season.

Too much rain could halt the harvest, reduce yields and damage crops.

Boggabilla grower, Pete Mailler finished his 2020 winter harvest yesterday as storm clouds brewed on the horizon, in what he described as a 'huge relief' after plenty of 12 to 14 hour days.

"If the header can thrash the grain, we've been harvesting," he said.

"The last couple of nights we've been out until 1am and back into it by half-past six.

He said the margins were tight, and the risk was high, and "we just can't afford to miss opportunities".

"We're certainly not being really efficient with our headers, they're working slow, and they're productivity is down because the conditions are tough.

"That's just harvest pressure. You can't sit and wait."

Trying to beat the storm

South of Mungindi, Andrew King is working with a harvest contracting team as a chaser bin driver.

He said while there had been some interruptions already from rain, the team was madly working to get as much of the 15,000 hectares off before Friday,which is when the big rain is forecast to start falling.

"We are rushing madly because of this storm front that is coming. The week has been manic. We have been starting at 6:00am and finishing at 1:00am, doing between 16 and 18 hours in the paddock a day," he said.

"Everybody has their own liquid and food in their header or chaser bin.

"The only thing we stop for is to stretch our legs for a couple of minutes."

He said, after years of drought, this year's crop was incredibly important for the farmers.

"The farm that I am on — I was told last year they got 200 tonnes of grain all up for the entire harvest," Mr King said

"At the moment [the five headers here] are pulling off 300 tonnes an hour — so that gives you an indication of the size of this year's harvest. "

Wet grain dampening returns

Mr Mailler said he had made the decision to harvest the wheat with higher moisture levels, up around 14 per cent, but said, luckily, he had appropriate storage.

"Every grain we've taken this year has been right on the edge for green and moisture. We've been really anxious about the weather forecast all the way.

"We're better off to have the grain in-store and we won't be harvesting wet paddocks."

The higher moisture levels have meant Mr Mailler has had to tap into alternative markets.

"We're just looking for markets where they're going to mill it quickly, so basically the feed job.

"There will be a cost and a dockage on the moisture levels but not too bad, [we're] very fortunate that we've got some decent silo storage on hand that's got good aeration that'll keep that grain cool.

Mr Mailler said his local forecast was a 90 per cent chance of between 20 and 40 millimetres in the coming days.

"If you're finished harvest [the forecast] looks great, but I really feel for people that haven't finished.

"Because if you're still trying to get grain off, it looks really scary."

He said the extended periods and consecutive days of rain were going to be really challenging for people.

"On the current forecast, it could be that it's a wet harvest and that's probably the worst scenario you can get."