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

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

Only 56 percent of Minnesota's soy crop harvest was complete as of Sunday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly crop report. The five-year average is 97 percent in; 96 percent had been harvested by the same week in 2008.

It's much the same with corn, with 12 percent harvested statewide, 39 points behind last year and 57 points behind the five-year average.

The report from the Minnesota field office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says 55 percent of the state's topsoil is rated surplus for moisture after another cool, wet week.

Statewide, just over 2 days were suitable for fieldwork as rain and snow returned Wednesday night.

The report says precipitation amounts ranged from under a half-inch in Winona to over 2 inches in International Falls.

"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 in Wisconsin.

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.

Unofficially, it was the wettest October on record for Winona, according to the National Weather Service office in La Crosse.

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 in La Crosse.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.