James Wray's potato lifting at Dungiven, Co Londonderry, 97ha (220 acres) of Navan, Cabaret and first-time Maris Piper, should all be over by Wednesday thanks to a good spell of weather with only patchy showers.
"After a wet summer and a stop/start cereal harvest, who would have thought that the potato harvest would have been so straightforward," he said.
Yields are good - up to 54t/ha (22t/ha) - as are prices. "We've been selling some for £130-135/t. I'm happy with that and optimistic about prices after Christmas. Although there's more blackleg than average I have yet to see any blighted potatoes."
Cereal drilling progress is about 10-14 days behind his neighbours'.
"We've always looked at potatoes as our main crop and cereals as a sort of break. But with cereal prices as they are we may have to think about restructuring our business."
Another reason why only 36ha (90 acres) have been drilled so far is that all the cereal land has received 10t/ha (4t/acre) of hen manure.
"It does a great job but it ties up a telescopic handler for loading and tractors to spread it. It also has to be ploughed down immediately, so there's a big labour requirement."
Fortunately all his cereal seed was ordered early. With the collapse in beef fortunes much more grass than usual is being ploughed up this autumn, he noted.
"If you didn't order early, seed barley and wheat has been nearly impossible to get hold of this year, and for those lucky enough to get any I've heard some crazy prices."
Provided drilling is finished Mr Wray plans to visit Germany's AgriTechnica show (13-17 Nov).
"It has the world's largest exhibition of agricultural machinery, and my father has good reason to be worried!" he said.
"With the grain store more than full, the potato stores overflowing and strong prices for both, I can make a start on that growing list of machinery required."
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