Wet weather conditions have begun to wreak havoc for grain producers across the Riverina as harvest season approaches.
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Temperatures across Wagga reached highs of 15 degrees over the weekend, with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting the region has already doubled its average November rainfall in a matter of two weeks.
The combination of wet and cold conditions are making it difficult for crops to dry as desired, and if not impossible to operate machinery within the fields.
Delays in productivity could mean the grain will lose weight, protein and encourage it to sprout, which are all significant downgrades that effort the bottom line for producers.
NSW Farmers Wagga chairman Alan Brown has been conducting crop assessments across the region and said damage due to weather conditions is already evident in some areas.
"There's been scattered [insurance] claims all through the area this year, they're not concentrated," he said.
"The farmers I have been talking to are saying that they probably won't get started before the rain comes in again, and if that happens, we might be looking at substantial downgrades."
Mr Brown said that the current problem facing producers is trafficability and, as the ground in some areas has not been stable enough to carry heavy harvesting machinery.
"Anywhere where the country's reasonably level, there's a real problem with wet ground," he said.
"That's going to be compounded again this weekend because they're talking another 25 mils of rain in the cropping areas."
GrainCrop corporate affairs manager Jess Simmons said that the weather has resulted in delayed grain deliveries, but it is too early to tell whether quality or volume has been impacted.
"We won't really know the impact until we start seeing more receivals come through," she said.
"Growers may try to get a bit off in the next couple of days, but we're expecting more rain towards the end of the week which will hold them up again.
"At this stage, we're expecting the weather will have put harvest back by two or three weeks, but again it's too early to tell."
Junee farmer Martin Honner has been producing grain for 39 years and said it would be "dreadful" if the rain did impact harvest after what has been a promising year.
"I can remember putting jumpers on in November and December ... It's just at this time of year we'd rather not see it," he said.
"With everything so close to the end, you're hoping that you'll have a fairly easy run, but with La Nina, we're more than likely in for a wet summer."
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