THE WA harvest is slowly drawing to a close.
Not many growers will be on the header after Christmas but the majority of them will be happy to see in the new year and start all over again in 2011.
That includes Great Southern growers Paul Hicks and Ray Squibb.
Both men and their families are looking forward to next year and didn't beat around the proverbial bush when describing this year as "not ideal."
After cutting and baling nearly all his straw from harvest, Mr Hicks, who farms at Pingrup, is making the best of his situation.
"You've just got to make a dollar wherever you can get it," he said.
"Some of our wheat crops weren't going to yield so we covered our costs by baling them as well."
Mr Hicks cropped 4400 hectares this year which included 3000ha of wheat, 600ha of oaten hay, 400ha of wheaten hay, 400ha of canola and field peas.
"Barley in the area averaged about a tonne," he said.
"A one tonne wheat crop around here this year was a pretty solid crop."
Mr Hicks said farmers around Pingrup were pretty positive but some had the added burden of not knowing how the bank balance would fare next year.
"The most valuable thing many of us have learned this year is that it's very important to have a plan because the financial institutions are really supportive but they want to know what your plan is and you've got to think outside the square."
Mr Hicks said canola in the area was pretty disappointing this year and ranged between 200kg-700kg but he remained very positive about the season's outlook.
"Everyone around here's pretty proactive and we try different techniques, we've been using soil-wetters for the last four years to help with non-wetting soils and plant establishment," he said.
With 185mm of rainfall for the year and 140mm of that in the growing season, Mr Hicks said that even on that limited rainfall he would sometimes come across patches of crop that would yield up to 2t/ha.
"I'm very positive and just looking to the future," he said.
"Input prices are reasonable, we bought inputs when they were cheap and grain prices are good so we just need the climate to come to the party.
"Everyone's in a similar position now and everyone in the area is on a really even playing field.
"It's definitely a positive outlook but you need to be organised and have a plan."
After trying noodle wheat varieties for a number of years without much success because of the protein bracket, Mace and Yitpi were Mr Hicks's varieties of choice this year.
"Mace has gone really well this season so we'll keep some seed and on-sell a bit," he said.
"There has been enough said on the negative side of things throughout the season and the only plus in that is that it's highlighted the under performing areas within our program and those areas will need to be seriously reviewed."
Mr Hicks said there would definitely be a future on the land but a proactive approach to the farm business is what would get growers through the tough stretches.
Tambellup farmer Ray Squibb was also very upbeat about the upcoming season.
"We can't do much more now but get the crop off and see what next year brings," he said.
Mr Squibb grows the noodle variety Cadoux and has had a fair bit of success with the variety despite the season.
"The prices are pretty helpful at this stage so that keeps a smile on our faces," he said.
"Like everyone our rainfall has been down and there are some crops that haven't come away very well but at the end of the day, what can you do?
"Even though the Cadoux has gone well our yields, like everyones, are down this year."
Mr Squibb's noodle wheat was carted directly to the CBH terminal in Albany.
The Albany Zone is now more than half way through harvest with 720,983 tonnes received to date.
Albany Zone manager Greg Thornton said receivals slowed last weekend as rain interrupted harvest progress.
"Despite the unfavourable weather, we received around 260,000 tonnes during the week tipping us over the half-way mark in receiving our 1.2m tonne estimate," he said.
"Growers in the northern half of the zone are winding up their harvest programs with growers further south still progressing well.
"We have set up several falling number machines in the Albany Zone as we're seeing some sprouted grain coming in due to the high moisture."
The Esperance Zone is now around 70 per cent of the way through harvest with 990,007 tonnes delivered in the zone to date.
Epserance Zone manager Mick Daw said the rainfall which came in last Thursday also impacted on the progress of this year's harvest.
"Unfortunately this slowed things up significantly for the Esperance Zone towards the end of the week," he said.
"The amount of rain we received varied throughout the zone, some areas received isolated showers while some received heavy falls.
"Many growers in the zone have either finished or are close to finishing their programs and with a good run of weather we'll see the Esperance Zone have a speedy finish to the season."
The Kwinana Zone had a strong run with daily receivals pushing 100,000 tonnes on 30 November.
Zone manager Brett Jeffrey said the rain forecast during last week meant that remaining tonnes would come in slowly this week.
"To date we've received just over 1.9mt tonnes and with yields holding up surprisingly well given the dry finish, expectations are now that we will reach 2m tonnes in the Kwinana Zone this season," he said.
"Some of the major sites will be closed in the eastern and northern parts of the zone by the end of this week."
The Geraldton Zone is not far from reaching its 1.4m tonne estimate for the season as harvest draws to a close for the zone.
Geraldton Zone Manager, Duncan Gray said there was between 50,000 and 70,000 tonnes yet to come in.
"We're expecting to see most of that delivered this week," Mr Gray said.
"As the daily tonnages drop back, we will close sites for receivals and provided the weather remains favourable for harvesting we will have finished harvest in the Geraldton Zone by this time next week."