If you look out your window right now, you might not be happy with the weather. In fact, that likely was the theme of the 2019 growing season. But for farmers in southeastern Minnesota, they did get a short window last week with about as good of soybean-harvesting weather as you might get this fall.

For many farmers in Rice County, sunshine and wind dried down fields enough to let them finally fire up the combine on Monday afternoon. And because of the rain and cold and even snow in the forecast, many pushed hard to get as much done as possible.

Jim Purfeerst, owner at Purfeerst Farms, farms with his sons Mark and Matt just east of Faribault. It was all hands-on-deck last Tuesday night, as you will see in this gallery taken by Jamie Purfeerst, Farm Progress digital editor. Luckily, they were given a stunning sunset to enjoy as their long day stretched on. The combine is currently parked in the shed until further notice, but for many farmers, that three-day window of sunshine (and just enough wind) was at least a start that they needed.