Wet, cool weather kept many Rugby area farmers in the farm yard rather than on the combine in October.

Statewide, the average number of days per week farmers were able to get into the field to harvest crops, was less than four, according to USDA statistics.

A brief stretch of dry weather early last week did enable some farmers to finish harvesting soybeans and get to the corn and sunflower crop. A drive around the area reveals there are plenty of acres to combine. As of last week, less than 10 percent of sunflowers and corn harvested for grain was complete.

Since October, well over two inches of precipitation from rain and snow has fallen, and outside of a couple of days, daytime highs have been below average. There hasn’t been too much sunlight, either.

The moisture will be welcome next spring for area farmers, but right now farmers would prefer drier weather, especially when they are racing Mother Nature.

And farmers don’t want a repeat of last fall when a wet October delayed the harvest and then 25 inches of snow and rain fell in November, essentially putting an end to the harvest.

Some farmers managed to get back into the fields to combine, but some corn and sunflowers were unable to be harvested.

While combines have set idle, waiting for drier weather, farmers have been moving hay and weaning calves. Corn chopped for silage was well over three-fourths complete, according to agriculture statistics.