By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Mostly clear days this week came as a welcome change for wheat farmers gearing up for harvest.

Dick Tippen, grain coordinator for Cooperative Grain and Supply, has gone out to look at fields in the southern part of the county and been satisfied with what he’s seen.

“They look about average to some above average,” he said.

Overall, he anticipates an average harvest for the area, netting about 40 to 50 bushels an acre.

Warm, dry weather is exactly what’s needed, he said.

“It’s dry pretty much now. The 6- to 10-day forecast looks like above-normal temps and below-normal precipitation, so it should be pretty good harvesting,” Tippen said. He expects farm trucks to start arriving at elevators soon.

“Probably toward the end of this week,” he said.

He has not compared the northern part of the county, where more rain and some hail has fallen, to the southern part.

Elevators are ready to take in the harvest, he said.

As for other crops, Tippen said, soybeans and corn look to be off to a good start. They’ll need a little heat and some rain later to finish growth.

“We’re definitely ready for the rain to hold off,” said Mitch Guetterman, store manager at PrarieLand Partners. “As far as crops, they need some sun and heat for the corn, and for soybeans, it needs to dry out a little bit for the soybeans to be planted.”

While abundant rains are good for crops, rains that prevent getting into the fields are another matter, he said.

Guetterman expects wheat harvest to kick off and planting of other crops to be possible within the next few days.

Aaron Helmer, store manager at Lang Diesel, agreed that the break from rainy weather had been a relief.

“I would imagine it’s going to liven spirits for a while,” he said.

Helmer also believes harvest will be in full swing quickly.