Fifteen minutes was long enough for a hail storm to all but wipe out Yass grower Michael Hedges' Morgan field pea crop.
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Mr Hedges had a disappointing end to 2014 when the storm dumped 20 millimetres and large hail stones at "Willowvale", leaving 80 per cent of the peas from the seven hectare crop now on the ground.
But he hoped to salvage four tonne of seed from the paddock, which had since been raked.
"I've tried to lift it up off the ground and hopefully I can get enough seed to plant again next year," he said.
The field peas were sown in mid-June and had grown to be his best crop yet.
Mr Hedges' primary income is hay, but this year he let the crop grow through to harvest, he said.
He was set to harvest it on December 5.
"Last year I cut my field peas for hay but this one grew so well; it's disappointing but it was good to see the potential of the variety," he said.
After spending some time broadacre farming in Western Australia, Mr Hedges gambled with field peas in the Yass area, and said it suited his operation despite them not traditionally being grown in the region.
"We found lupins to be hit-and-miss and if the season turns around we could mow the field peas and make hay," he said.
"We were using them as another rotation. Luckily we have sheep too so I'll get off what I can and then I'll be putting lambs on there to graze it out so I'll at least recover some of what I've lost.
"With the prime lamb prices the way they are I'll still make some money off the paddock."
Despite his bad luck with the field peas, Mr Hedges said last year had been one of his biggest years for hay production.
He cut 12,000 small square bales and 350 round bales.
"It was also the earliest; we had hot winds and everything turned," he said.
"We sold out last year completely, there was no hay from about August.
"The demand this year was definitely still there and as we get further in to summer it only grows."
In 2010, he recorded his biggest year ever, baling 15,000 small squares and 700 round bales.
"In a big year we'd normally make about 10,000 small squares so this year went really well," he said.