Harvest operations are still just getting underway in many parts of the southeast area, as variable rain showers dampen efforts to get the 2005 crop off the field.

The southeast didn't get quite as much rain in the past week as other areas of the province, or as much as the previous week when some heavy dumps of rain were reported, said crop specialist Elaine Moats.

The southeast has about 15 per cent of the crop combined, according to Sask. Ag and Food, with another 27 per cent lying in swath or ready for straight-combining. This is ahead of the provincial average of eight per cent of harvest combined. The five-year average for the province is to have 25 per cent of the crop combined and 21 per cent swathed by this time of year.

"The yields people are reporting are extremely variable, depending on when it was seeded, how much rain it got in July, the fertility of the field and so on. It's hard to come up with numbers that reflect the grade or yield at this point. The grade might not be quite as high as expected on some of this early stuff, but as I say, it's too early to tell yet," said Moats.

One factor that is yet to be seen on bushel weight will be the heat from July, although later-seeded crops aren't expected to show as much effect, added Moats.

The crops which have been harvested so far include 72 per cent of the winter wheat, 74 per cent of the fall rye, 34 per cent of lentils, 60 per cent of peas, 32 per cent of chickpeas and 15 per cent of the canola.

As far as insect damages, there is some sawfly damage in wheat crops, but there have also been crops lodging as a result of winds and heavy rains, and this will have an effect on harvest operations as well.

With some return to hot days in the last week, and predicted for the week ahead, Moats said this will cause a grain storage issue.

"When you combine the crops under hot temperatures, the grain sweats in the bins, and there can be some storage issues. You'll get condensation on the metal sides, with the potential for moisture problems, which can lead to insect problems, so people need to be aware how hot the grain is," said Moats.

Storage is itself an issue for some producers, as many still have leftover piles of low-grade grains from last year, taking up bin space for this year's harvest.

Pasture conditions were reported as good to excellent by 48 per cent of crop reporters, and livestock water supplies is rated as adequate by all reporters.