The weather bureau recorded falls of 47mm at Dubbo since Sunday and local farmers say that’s already enough to significantly downgrade their crops and reduce financial returns.

Farmers yesterday prepared for a delayed harvest and questioned if they would be able to continue, a fear voiced by NSW Farmers Association Charles Armstrong.

Men who had spent long hours on the header until the weekend sheltered inside yesterday as the rain took away the quality of their wheat and oat crops.

The canola is done, but many farmers still have the majority of their other crops to harvest.

Coolbaggie farmer Ken Williams said he had recorded about 65mm of rain, enough for the grains to be already

shot - meaning it would be downgraded to the feed category.

“It’s going to cost a fair bit of money,” he said.

He had his eye on the forecast and predicted it might be two weeks before they could “get back on the paddocks”.

“I don’t know how long it could go before its irretrievable,” he said.

“If it keeps raining it could get the way where it can’t be stripped.”

Further north at Collie, farmer Andrew Freeth said the rain at this time was frustrating.

“I wish it would go away,” he said.

His family had half their crop stripped, but he acknowledged the balance would be downgraded.

“It’s frustrating to have come this far, to have a good crop and then some of it be ruined - but it’s better than dust,” he said.

He wished for a “burst of fine weather” to allow the harvest to continue in the next three weeks.

“I’m hoping we get some fine weather and get it off before Christmas, but the risk is we could be harvesting after Christmas.”

Farmer and Dubbo machinery manufacturer Rodney Carr predicted weeks ago La Nina could make its presence known at just the wrong time.

“The feeling a month ago was everyone had a spring in their step with predictions of good yields and high prices and they were thinking they could do something with the return,” he said.

“Everyone’s a bit flat now.”

He expressed concern that more rain would stop the completion of harvest and said that could have a wider impact.

“People were coming into the machinery business and inquiring about new machinery, but said they wanted to get the grain off first before committing,” he said.

Mr Armstrong said revenue from wheat would be significantly lower than what was earlier expected.

“We’re facing already a potential for significant downgrade in the wheat quality and then obviously a real challenge to even be able to continue harvesting and delivering the grain,” Mr Armstrong said.

“It’s not good at all.”