On the heels of a soggy October, November is off to a sunny start - rare good news for area farmers.

Dogged by unseasonable rain, the harvest is weeks behind and some farmers fear heavy losses.

Only 29 percent of the soy crop harvest statewide was complete as of Sunday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Normally by this time 84 percent is in.

Grain corn harvest - usually about halfway done by now - barely has started.

"We're looking at a couple of weeks behind, farther in some places," said Steve Huntzicker, the UW Extension Service's agriculture agent for La Crosse County.

The problem is too much moisture in the crops, and some are starting to mold. Spongy soil also has made it difficult to get into some fields.

"Things were looking pretty bleak before this weekend," said Trisha Wagner, Jackson County agriculture agent. "(It) has been a very difficult growing season."

Farmers are weighing the options of paying to dry their grains versus the risks of leaving it in the field, said Wagner. Those with contracts don't have the choice.

October was the fourth-coolest on record for La Crosse, according to the National Weather Service office in La Crosse. It also was the wettest month of 2009, something that's happened only once before in the era of modern records - in 1900.

The wet fall followed an unusually cool July, which kept about 15 percent of the corn from ever reaching maturity.

What's needed is a string of sunny days, and that may happen this week.

Aside from some showers tonight, the forecast is nothing but sun. Low 60s even are possible for the weekend, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jessica Brooks.

"It's been a challenge," said Monroe County agriculture agent Bill Halfman. "That'd be wonderful if we could get a window to get some things done."