There were plenty of comments about forfeiting a holiday to the coast and instead sitting on the header and listening to commentary from the cricket.

Many producers like the idea of an unofficial harvest deadline of Christmas. However, its now heading towards Australia Day and some crops are yet to make it to the bin.

After heavy rain fell in November, and again in December agronomist and Mangoplah farmer Don Kirkpatrick "Maxwell Park," predicted a long and drawn out harvest.

However, he was hopeful of good yields.

Ben Langtry of "Marrarvale" at Marrar also predicted a long harvest when quizzed about the potential 2021 results late last year.

And field wheat crop judge for the Agricultural Societies Council, Frank McRae said many of the crops he judged in the southern region in November were still green.

It was this fact that helped many of the crops withstand the heavy rain that later arrived.

NSW Farmers grains committee chairman Justin Everitt said the 2021 harvest would be one of the longest in memory.

He said despite all of the challenges, from a mouse plague to wet weather and flooding, growers had managed to achieve an incredible result.

"This has been without a doubt one of the longest harvests in memory, but we're nearly there," Mr Everitt said.

"Sometimes it's felt like we've been kicked from pillar to post with worker shortages, high prices for supplies and everything nature can throw at us," he said.

"But the end result is pretty positive and things are looking good for next year as well.

"Throughout the past year grain growers have had to contend with fewer workers under tough COVID-19 (pandemic) restrictions, while rising input prices for fertiliser and fuel have squeezed the bottom line.

Meanwhile, a mouse plague last year saw extensive damage not only to crops but also buildings and machinery, and flooding caused widespread destruction on many farms.

However, Mr Everitt said farmers were a tough bunch that knew how to get in and get the job done.

"We're still waiting for the final tally to come in but GrainCorp's numbers are up on last year despite all the chaos, which is a really solid sign of success," he said.

According to GrainCorp, receival sites took in almost 7.5 million tonnes of grain this harvest, up on about 7.2 million tonnes the previous year, while the Port of Newcastle reported a huge rise in grain exports in 2021.