There's nothing like sun to gladden a farmer's heart at harvest time.

After a long spell of rain, recent sunny days have allowed local farmers to get busy bringing in their crops.

"I'm sure all farmers are just tickled to death that we've got such nice weather here," Utica farmer Monte Whipple, president of the La Salle County Farm Bureau, told The Times.

"Right now I think most farmers are trying to concentrate on getting some beans combined. In the meantime, the corn is starting to dry down in the fields a little. We're making progress. Right now it's like a mad rush to get the crop in before old man winter shows up."

Rain has been in abundance, not only recently, but at the planting season.

"In farming we like say no two years are alike. I think this year definitely proves that out. Maybe we've been a little spoiled and kind of gotten accustomed to getting the crop in good shape and getting it out in good shape."

The extra rain is just a fluke of nature, Whipple said.

"It made it slow right off the bat getting things planted. But, since we were a month behind getting the crop in the ground, it just follows through that we're a month behind getting the crop out of the ground."

The right amount of rain is critical, he noted.

"Anybody who has lived through a drought realizes the importance of moisture and rain and keeping the ground replenished. But there also comes a point when there's too much and you can't get anything accomplished."

Whipple's wife, Mary, also takes things in stride.

"Honestly, in the 35 years we've been married I can only remember one time when we couldn't get a crop out of the ground, and that's because we got an unexpected snow at Thanksgiving. Monte had 40 acres of beans still to take out. We lost that crop."

This year is the latest start to harvesting she can remember.

She says a philosophical attitude and faith are important.

"There's an old saying that I embroidered for Monte years ago. It says, 'Who plants the seed beneath the sod and waits to see believes in God.'

"You've just got to believe there's somebody else out there looking over you.

"It's an absolute miracle how this stuff gets in the ground, the sun makes it grow, we get it back out and we feed people.

"It's a miracle."