In an effort to help bring food to tables around the world, farmers deal with whatever Mother Nature throws their way: drought, floods, hail, tornadoes, untimely frosts, diseases and pest infestations to name but a few. On occasion, good combinations of moisture and sunshine show up.

Despite an inauspicious start of the current winter wheat season, 2009 is turning out to be one of the better bounties for northwest Kansas farmers. While small pockets of the region did receive extensive hail damage, most farmers are bringing in some of the best yields and test weights they've seen in a decade or longer.

With the realities of a recession affecting the region's manufacturing and education sectors, slowing revenue streams to local and state government coffers, driving down oil prices and increasing overall unemployment rates, the wheat crop's success comes at a good time.

"Farmers in many parts of the state are having good crops and yields and can help us come out of the recession," said Gov. Mark Parkinson while visiting a Thomas County farm last week.

That's especially true when farmers are harvesting 100-bushel-per-acre wheat -- which is being reported at the St. Francis Mercantile Equity Exchange. That is by far the best yield we've heard of to date. And while protein levels are not as high as desired, better-than-average harvests are being reaped from throughout the region:

* Sherman County is producing "excellent" weights and yields.

* Thomas County has up to 60 bushels per acre.

* Rooks, Phillips and Decatur counties are all in excess of 60 bushels per acre.

* Russell County took in 100,000 bushels less than last year, but had 40- to 50-bushel yields with good test weights.

* Smith County's elevator has taken in 1.1 million bushels with test weights averaging 62 pounds.

* Midland Marketing is reporting 62-pound test weight averages and better-than-expected yields from Ellis County and both south and north from its 11 locations. By last Monday alone, Midland had taken in 7.7 million bushels.

Even the late wheat is proving yields as good as the regular winter wheat, which is unusual.

Mike Brown, past chairman of the Kansas Wheat Commission and whose farm the governor visited, said: "When we have good yields and the prices are good, it makes a big difference to Main Street in these small towns. Implement dealers, car dealers and hardware store merchants. It's a big factor for all of us out here in the western part of the state."

Some years are just better than others for those who work the land. And to paraphrase an old saying: When the farmer's happy, everybody's happy.

Editorial by Patrick Lowry

plowry@dailynews.net