This way we can get an early start, and we can try and keep up with them as they mature. Once peas test dry they can take a lot of rain before they become tough again, as the only place moisture will enter the pea seed is the small point where the pea is attached to the pod. Many times in the past I would get a 2 or 3 day jump on combining after a rain, because my peas were still dry. We use screens on both the return and clean grain elevators of the combine to help remove dirt and small weed seeds. Remember, always keep your grain augers full and run them at a fairly slow speed, especially when the peas are dry, to help reduce splits.
Peas are a joy to combine on dry sunny days, but they can be a real nightmare on damp, cloudy days.
If you hit one of those days when nothing is going right, leave them and go do something else, and come back when the conditions are right. In the past, I've straight cut peas all day till dark, changed headers, and combined cereal or canola swaths for another two or three hours. Here's our combine operator for peas - Daniel, our oldest son, who is fifteen and a very capable operator. Our last day of the pea harvest was one of those days that a family farm can take pride in - we had three generations working together that day. Not many professions can speak with the pride that farmers do, and say that the whole family is involved in the business.