7-24-12 --  Weather forecasters say up to three-inches of rain could fall in some spots by the time the current storm system moves through the lower two-thirds of Minnesota.  Scattered rain today has been very welcome by most Minnesota farmers who've seen their crops stressed by the lack of moisture this summer along with very high temperatures.  Some fields are in better shape than others and in a few places the rain comes too late to be of much help.  Roughly a third of Minnesota's two mostly widely grown crops--corn and soybeans--are in only very poor to fair condition.  But the harvest of small grains -- like oats, barley and spring wheat -- is moving right along, at a much quicker pace than most years because of a very early planting season.