Recent rains and a return to wet conditions have made harvest tricky for some Manitoba farmers, as some fields are too soggy for equipment. Or, where farmers have tried to plug through the mud, the fields have been wet enough for farm equipment to get stuck.

Abe Penner, co-owner of Little Morden Service says a lot of producers have opted to put tracks on farm equipment this year as a way to prevent getting stuck, as that can damage farm equipment.

'We've it happen in years past where equipment will get stuck and then you get large equipment to get this thing pulled out of the mud, and it can stretch combines," Penner says. "We've seen combines lengthen a couple inches and so that throws off all your harvest capacity, really, it damages the combine."                   

Penner says you may not notice the damage right away, but can become problematic down the road. He says it's important to be gentle on the equipment if it looks like it's going to get stuck in the mud.

"What a lot of guys are seeing, is if they do see themselves getting stuck, instead of trying to work their way out of the mud, they just stop and not make it worse than it has to be," he says. "That's not always possible, though. There are times when the equipment sinks and you have to take care of it."

In addition to putting tracks on combines, swathers, tractors, and grain carts, Penner says some producers have chosen to add rear wheel assist to combines to try and flow through the mud.