Leduc County is asking ATV operators to stay off farmers' fields as almost half of them still have unharvested crops.

"Leduc County council recognizes the struggles our local producers are facing," Mayor John Whaley said in a news release Friday.

"In addition to extremely wet conditions, which make it impossible to harvest crops, recreational-vehicle users are now riding over and damaging many of these crops."

The county asks recreational-vehicles users to stick to highways and ditches until further notice.

About 50 per cent of the crops in the county south of Edmonton have not yet been harvested, Whaley said.

Garett Broadbent, the county's director of agricultural services, said many people appear to be unaware that crops are still on the fields.

"Normally, crops have been harvested by now and these issues don't arise," he said. "However, this is a unique situation, and we need people to be aware that crops are still being harvested and may stay in-field until the spring."

The poor harvest conditions prompted Brazeau and Lac Ste. Anne counties to declare agricultural state of emergencies earlier this week.