For Minnesota's farmers, it doesn't get much better than this.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday that the state's corn, soybean and wheat crops are in the best shape of any state in the nation.
And if conditions hold, the harvest of all three crops could reach an all-time record yield.
Near-perfect weather -- a combination of rain and warmth that both have been above average -- contributed to the bonanza.
As of Sunday, 90 percent of ripening corn was rated good or excellent, as was 87 percent of wheat and soybeans.
The only relatively bad news was produced by last week's heavy rains, which slowed the pace of the harvest, putting it behind the five-year average across Minnesota, the USDA reported.
Prices on the rise
More good news for the state's farmers has come in the form of rallies for prices of the three crops, which represent the financial cornerstone for the state's agricultural economy.
Wheat prices in particular have been boosted by a drought in Russia that has shriveled that nation's wheat crop.
BOB VON STERNBERG
