Our rain gauge overfloweth.

Farm fields are sprouting ponds, not crops, the sodden ground delaying the start of the spring planting season by two weeks to a month.

Golf course workers are pumping out bunkers and pleading with golfers to keep their carts on the path and off squishy ground.

The county has received about twice as much rain as normal so far in April. Almost 5 inches of rain has been recorded by Millersville University, with a week left in the month. The forecast says there is a chance of rain Tuesday through Thursday.

The yearly rainfall total is about 3.5 inches above normal, too.

Hoping for a dry spell?

"Everybody is," said Jeff Graybill, an agent with the Penn State Agricultural Extension here.

"It's the worst start of the golf season that I can remember," said Ken Ord, director of the Overlook Golf Course in Manheim Township.

We have had rain, then wind, then rain and wind together, topped off by raw temperatures. It's too much, even for the diehards.

"Golfers will play if it's rainy and warm, but if it's rainy and cold, there's no chance," Ord said.

Water has pooled on the fields of Jim Hershey's 300-acre farm in Mount Joy Township.

"We're not close to even thinking about planting," Hershey said. "If it stopped raining today, we're still looking at two weeks. The longer it goes, it just increases your risk of the possibility of not having a bumper crop."

When farmers have a slim crop, the effects spread outward, like ripples in one of the little ponds on Hershey's fields.

Grain prices can go up. Meat prices can go up. Dairy prices can go up. Bread prices can go up.

But, Hershey said, it's too early to predict those problems.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," he said.

On local golf courses, greenskeepers have been busy, but the courses have not.

"The rain is making the grass grow. Everything is green," said Charlie Groff, of Groff's Farm Golf Course south of Mount Joy. "But it's killed the cash register."

"It's a tough business to be in right now," he said.

Monday was sunny, but isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible Tuesday, according to the Millersville University Weather Information Center. A cold front will trigger more showers and thunderstorms late Wednesday before exiting the region Thursday.

Some days have been kind of lonely for Nevin Smith in the pro shop of the Willow Valley Golf Course. On a good day, he sees about 75 to 90 golfers. But some days this month, he had no customers at all.

"I've only played two rounds this month myself," he said. "I'm retired. I don't have to golf in miserable weather. I can go out when I want."

Still, the course is in good shape and if the sun comes out, he said it will quickly get busy.

At Tree Top Golf Course in Mount Joy Township, general manager Terry Weaver is hoping for a great summer and fall to even out the awful spring.

"It was not a great start at all," he said Monday. "Today, we are very busy, but we're also very wet, probably the wettest we've been."

Overlook is down by 1,300 rounds, which is significant, Ord said.

"The only chance of us making this up is if we have a warm November and December," he said.

Graybill said he's not aware of any farmers who have planted corn or soybeans. Dairy farmers also are having a hard time harvesting the rye crop they use to feed their cows.

"Rain is always better than drought, but you can drown in too much water," Graybill said.

Jim Kettering farms about 300 acres in East Hempfield Township, growing corn, soybeans and wheat.

He hasn't been able to prepare fields for planting corn, much less plant it.

"It's very frustrating," he said. "It's been cold, too. Even if it would be fit to plant, the ground is still cold. We haven't warmed up yet."

A week of warm, dry days would quickly change things, he said. Like Hershey, and farmers everywhere, he is optimistic.

"What else can you do?" he asks. "You have to deal with the weather, so you learn to deal with it."

cstauffer@lnpnews.com