VIDALIA — Harvest season is upon local farmers, and this year, things have been going smoothly for area crops.

Glen Daniels, the LSU AgCenter’s county agent in Concordia Parish, said farmers are in the middle of harvesting.

“The corn crops are around 80 percent complete,” he said. “They are also well into the soybean harvest, and partially in the rice.”

Daniels said the soybean crop is surprisingly good right now.

“They were hit by the dry weather this year,” Daniels said. “Even with that they are at about a 50 bushel average.”

J. Stevens, associate professor and extension specialist of soil fertility and nutrient management, said up to this point, harvest conditions have been very agreeable.

“Central Louisiana did not get a lot of rain this year,” Stevens said. “Even so, things have been running along fairly well.”

Stevens said the main crops grown in the area are corn, cotton, rice and soybeans.

“Soybeans and corn are normally harvested around mid-August,” Stevens said. “Angelina Plantation is even well into their rice harvest.”

Stevens said the yields for the crop this year are looking as they should.

“We are getting yields anywhere from 30 bushels to around 180 bushels,” he said. “Some areas are probably receiving more than that on their yields.”

Stevens said the weather could still introduce hitches into the harvesting season.

“You need rain for the crops to grow,” he said. “But you need to harvest in dry weather so you don’t rut up the fields.”

Stevens said the rain from a few weeks ago has left some farmers on wet ground.

“The soils that are clay-based take longer to dry out,” he said. “The wetness of the soil makes it harder to harvest.”

Daniels said another one of Mother Nature’s forces did some damage to crops in the area recently.

“The winds were pretty strong last week and they blew down some of the rice crops,” he said.

Stevens said the weather is something that makes or breaks a farmer’s crops.

“Farming is a very risky business,” he said. “Whatever Mother Nature decides is what farmers have to go with. You have to make the best with what you are given, and unless something major happens, it will continue to be a good year.”