Pat Ross was just about done harvesting his wheat this week when Mother Nature decided to disrupt his work.

“We had just enough rain today to stop the wheat harvest … but not enough rain to do us one bit of good,” said Ross, a Lawrence farmer.

For nearly a month, Ross said, local farms have gotten little rain. That usually spells disaster for the wheat harvest. But this year, the wheat seems to have survived the dry climate.

Ross said that this year his fields have produced just as much, if not more, wheat than last year.

Bill Wood, the agriculture agent at the Douglas County Extension Office, said that farmers in Douglas County are reporting yields of 35 to 60 bushels. He added that the eight-year average was 46 bushels.

Wood said that about three-fourths of Douglas County farmers have finished harvesting their wheat.

The Ottawa Co-op Assn. is also experiencing a successful wheat harvest. Although only about 70 percent of their farmers have completed the harvest, general manager Adrian Derousseau said that this year’s yield is twice that of last year.

Pat Ross drives into his sweet-corn field northeast of Lawrence. Ross harvested his first sweet corn of the year Thursday under a blanket of storm clouds.

“But last year was a bad year,” he added.

Combines rolled to a stop this week after a few scattered showers muddied up the wheat fields. The rain, though good for other crops, isn’t necessarily good for the wheat, Wood said. That’s because in order to store the grain for long periods of time, the moisture in the kernels must be below 13 percent.

Derousseau said that most farmers won’t mind a few drops of rain, even if it delays the wheat harvest.

“I think the rains are so welcome that everyone will put up with a little inconvenience right now,” Derousseau said.

He added that because wheat is such a minor crop in Douglas County, farmers are much more concerned with the success of their soybean or corn fields. For those crops, he said, the more rain, the better.

Matt Sayers, 6News chief meteorologist, said that there’s a slight chance of showers on Saturday night. Other than that, this week’s forecast calls for little precipitation. Just dry heat.

Ross said that as soon as the soil dries out, he’ll rev up his combine and finish the wheat harvest in a day or two.

“As dry as we are now, it won’t take long. Once we get another couple of sun-shiny days, you’ll see most of the wheat harvest done. It’ll go really quick,” Ross said.