Harvesting is now in full swing in the Weyburn region with swathing ongoing throughout the area, and combining just nicely getting underway.

In the southeast area, seven per cent of the 2005 crop has been combined and 21 per cent is lying in swath or ready to be straight-combined. This is slightly ahead of the provincial average of five per cent of the crop combined and 13 per cent swathed, according to Sask. Ag and Food's weekly crop report.

Crop specialist Elaine Moats noted the ripening of crops is continuing to progress, and the rain of a week ago did help some of the later-seeded crops.

"The major thing at this point is the work of harvesting the crops and everything that goes with that. As we've got relatively good weather and it's still fairly early, people can relax and enjoy the harvest, if there is such a thing. At least, there's no fretting or worrying about the time," said Moats.

Ogema-area producer Lonny McKague said the crops in the area are average to above-average, with some areas that are very good and others that are not.

Most of the early harvesting has been of peas, and McKague said there has been some disappointment in the quality so far.

"In our area, we had a month in May without rain, then the heat (in July) certainly had some impact on the yield," said McKague. With the heavy rains on Wednesday, which ranged from one to four inches in his area, some of the higher-yielding durum crops were lodging badly. The rain halted harvest activities until the weekend.

In the Pangman area, organic producer Gene Kessler said they were a littlebehind in development compared to the Ogema area, as peas were generally being combined, but nothing had been started for cereals until the weekend.

One of the factors he's having to deal with in this harvest are the results of a hail storm on July 16, which pounded down a swath two miles wide through his crops.

Kessler said he wouldn't be ready to start on some of his crops until this week, while flax will be another two weeks or so before it's ready. Kessler also noted there were signs of sawfly damage in wheat crops.

Moats said the potential certainly exists in the southeast area for sawfly damage, but noted this isn't an insect producers can spray for. If damage is noted, the best thing farmers can do is swath the wheat early before any big winds come through to knock the crops down flat.

Some producers have pickup reels and lifters for their combines, said Moats, but noted it's easier to lay the wheat down in a swath and combine it after. She also pointed out if sawfly damage is evident in a cereal field, the producer should factor that into his crop rotation for next year and plant an oilseed or pulse crop in that field to avoid a repeat of that insect.

The crops that have been harvested so far includes 74 per cent of the fall rye, 56 per cent of winter wheat, 39 per cent of the peas, 18 per cent of lentils and 16 per cent of chickpeas.

With haying mostly completed for the first cut, the average yield was reported to be 1.7 tons per acre for brome/alfalfa in the southeast.