HOLLANDALE &045; Farmers in the area are afraid to talk about their good crops this year. They just don’t want to jinx it.

&uot;We’ve had such a perfect season so far. We’ve been joking around that maybe we shouldn’t be talking about it,&uot; said Hollandale farmer Gerald Edwards.

This season, area farmers are experiencing one of the best growing periods in the last ten years, Edwards said. Another plus is the good potato prices that are being posted.

Hollandale farmers have been hit particularly hard in the last three years with heavy rain drowning the low-lying area. Last year Edwards estimates he lost 40 percent of his vegetable crop &045; in fact, he has not harvested a full crop in the last three or four years.

So what’s different this year?

&uot;It’s been good so far. We’ve had heat, sun, and the crucial rains,&uot; Edwards explained.

&uot;Mother Nature pretty much dictates how the crops grow. Even though we got off to a cold start in spring, I have some potatoes that are about 10 days ahead,&uot; said Edwards, who also grows corn, sweet corn, soybeans and carrots on 1,400 acres.

The farmers’ good luck this year is apparent even to the untrained eye. The fields are lush and green, and even driving by, the smell of fresh onions wafts into the car. All the community can do now is hope their good luck continues.

&uot;It’s a nine-inning ballgame and we’re only at the top of the sixth,&uot; Edwards said.