Harvesting progressed further in the southeast in the past week, but very slowly, indicative of what will be a long, drawn-out harvest this year.

Farmers had to contend with foggy mornings and heavy dews this past week, but were able to make progress mainly on peas, lentils and spring wheat and durum.

Sask. Ag and Food estimates about 11 per cent of the crop has been combined in the southeast with a further 21 per cent lying in swath or ready to be straight-combined. Provincially, the harvest is about 10 per cent combined with 27 per cent swathed or ready for straight-combining. This compares to the five-year average of 53 per cent of the crop being harvested by this point.

Broken down by crop, about 60 per cent of fall rye, 44 per cent of peas, 30 per cent of lentils, 38 per cent of winter wheat and 18 per cent of mustard has been harvested in the southeast area.

Producers are finding out the extent of frost damage as they get the crops off and sent in to the elevators for grading for quality.

Producer Norm Flaten, farming in the Trossachs area west of Weyburn, said harvest in his area is "proceeding extremely slowly" with mostly peas and lentils being taken off right now, along with early-seeded wheat and durum.

"Some of the wheat that's been taken to the elevator is going as feed because of the frost. It varies according to topography and area. Right where we are, the lower areas tend to pool colder air, while the higher ground and early crops are much less affected, some not at all," said Flaten.

Some of his crops were seeded late in June after the crop insurance deadline, and some of those crops are still green, but seem to be surviving well so far. Some of these crops have begun to turn colour, but Flaten acknowledged some of the crops may never mature completely before the first hard frost comes.

"If they fill with seeds, then there will be considerable feed value and a fair volume. Some of the other crops, such as late canola and mustard or other specialty crops, some of these are just garbage. There's very little salvage value in some of those crops," said Flaten. Some of his early-seeded wheat has been grading No. 2 and 3 with protein levels of 14 per cent, but Flaten fears this won't be the case with his later-seeded crops.

South of Weyburn in the Tribune area, David Pattyson estimated that two-thirds of the canola crop has been harvested with yields very good on early-seeded crops, and peas and lentils are progressing fairly well at this time.

He said peas are generally showing an excellent yield, but the lentils were affected by the cool, wet weather during the growing season. Harvest on spring wheat and durum has just begun in his area, and yields are looking very good for early-seeded crops.

"There's been some downgrading due to frost and due to other factors. The colour looks really good, but there has been some disease, and if we get warm weather there is a hazard of sprouting," said Pattyson.

Of the spring wheat and durum he's harvested so far, the wheat has graded No. 2 or 3 and the durum is grading No. 3.

"Some of the stuff I've been taking off is barely mature. There's some really nice crops that were seeded late, but it's going to be very late in the harvest season before they're done. There's already some talk they may have to be swathed and then combined in the spring," said Pattyson.

He indicated flax crops are also looking good, but how much damage was inflicted by frost remains a question mark until it's been harvested.

"Harvest is going to be very sporadic and drawn out. At this stage of the game, we can hope Mother Nature cooperates and hope some of this stuff can come off in reasonable shape," said Pattyson.