In Daviess County, Terry Rhodes on Monday was wrapping up his corn harvest, which has yielded 180 to 200 bushels an acre - easily beating his yearly average. He attributed the success to ideal growing conditions.

"We had a cool summer. Temperatures seldom got over 90 and we had adequate rainfall," said Rhodes. "And that's what it takes to produce a good crop."

Rhodes also prospered by committing most of his crop to contracts months ago, before grain prices spiraled downward.

Statewide, 69 percent of the corn crop has been harvested, ahead of last year's pace of 61 percent but behind a five-year average of 73 percent, the Kentucky Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday.

Last month, Kentucky's overall corn crop was forecast at 161.9 million bushels, up 9 percent from a year ago, the crop-reporting service said. It would be the state's largest corn crop since 1992. Yield was projected at 142 bushels per acre, which would match the record high in 2001.

The soybean crop was projected to reach 52.1 million bushels, down 2 percent from last year's bin-busting output. Yield was predicted to be 41 bushels per acre, down two bushels from last year's record high.

Mike Ellis, who farms in Shelby and Henry counties, said his corn yields are 15 percent higher than average. His full-season soybeans are producing just over 60 bushels an acre, compared to a 41-bushel average.

"If it's not the best, it will most likely be the second-best yield ever," Ellis said. "With the prices that were offered last year, and we locked a few of those in, it would make it a good year financially."

Ellis and his brothers, Bob and Jim, raised about 2,500 acres of corn, 2,300 acres of full-season beans and 1,855 acres of double-crop beans.

Mike Ellis said the late-planted soybeans are showing strains from a recent dry spell that could cut yields by up to 25 percent.

Nearly one-fourth of the state's soybeans have been harvested, ahead of 11 percent last year and a five-year average of 21 percent, the crop-reporting service said. The crop was rated 40 percent good, 31 percent excellent, 18 percent fair, 10 percent poor and 1 percent very poor.

In Crittenden County, many corn fields have averaged 130 bushels an acre with some producing 180 bushels per acre, said Tom Moore, the county ag extension agent. The county usually averages 100 bushels an acre.

Moore said a prolonged dry spell is hurting late-planted soybeans in the western Kentucky county. "The growing season just went from excellent to terrible all at once," he said.

In Boyle County, crop yields so far are up by as much as 20 percent from a year ago, said ag extension agent Jerry Little.

"We got the rain when we needed it," he said.

The steady rains this spring and summer produced a large hay crop in the central Kentucky county but hurt quality, he said.

"The quality is not going to be the best, but we've definitely got a lot of tons out there," he said.

Meanwhile, pasture conditions across Kentucky were rated 39 percent good, 28 percent fair, 14 percent poor, 13 percent excellent and 6 percent very poor, the crop-reporting service said.