Kansas farmers planted only 9 million acres of wheat for this summer's harvest, the second-lowest amount since 1920, said Kevin Dhuyvetter, professor of agricultural economics. The lowest occurred in 1957, when about 7.2 million acres were planted.

Doug Biswell, grain merchandiser at the Manhattan grain elevator, said the wet fall last year led to later harvests, which pushed back the normal planting time for summer wheat.

"In this particular area, fall crops came off so late, a lot of people just didn't have any time to plant wheat," he said. "The soybeans weren't done until after Thanksgiving."

Biswell also said the last two years of wheat harvest were so poor that many area farmers might be laying low for the year by not planting as much wheat as they normally would. For the harvest of 2007, there was excess rain and sprout damage, and last year, crops suffered from wheat scab, a blight on the head of the wheat caused by a fungus that depends on wet weather conditions.

Though Biswell said he has noticed a decrease in harvested wheat acreage in the Manhattan area this year, farmers seem to be positive about how this harvest is going.

"The prices have been good and the quality of the wheat is very good," Biswell said. "I don't see why it won't continue toward more normal harvests next year."

He also said it has not affected the local elevator in terms of employment because they do not hire seasonal employees; there is just less work for them this harvest. However, Biswell said that might change this fall when it comes time to harvest beans because many farmers are replacing their lost wheat acreage with extra bean acres.

Robby McGowan, location manager at the grain elevation northeast of Manhattan in Onaga, Kan., also said many area farmers seem to be planting extra corn and beans, but it's too early to tell how those crops will turn out, or how they will affect commerce in the state.

"The ground's been pretty wet, but it could end up being a pretty good year if the weather shapes up," he said. "The corn and beans could be a really good thing — they could increase our commerce."