The heavy rainfalls that soaked Manitoba for three days through Sunday will take a toll on cities as well as farms, according to a farm policy representative.

Some farmers had started harvest last week but now yields depend on how long it takes fields to dry.

Ian Wishart, spokesman for Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the effects of a poor crop year will trickle down into the economies of towns and cities in Manitoba.

Farmers in the Interlake region north of Winnipeg, the northwestern part of the province and east along the Red River appear to have been hardest hit by the record levels of rain.

"All you have to do is look at the Interlake and you see they are already suffering," said Wishart.

"It spills into the city as well," he said, because farmers who would head into the city to shop don't spend money when they don't have it.

Wishart said farmers have taken advantage of crop insurance programs and re-seeded where they could, but this year is shaping up to be one of the worst in a long time.

"Producers have done an awful lot to protect themselves against these kinds of events," said Wishart. "But it is very frustrating, especially when we started off with an early seeding and ideal conditions. I know a lot of [farmers] feel like the year has been stolen from them."

He said the situation is especially frustrating as commodity prices this year are very high.

Farmers are now hoping for a long, warm fall with delayed frost.