A segment on this morning's NBC "Today Show" will be live from the Jay Elkin farm, near Taylor.

In the concept that it never rains but it pours sometimes, today will be one of two times this month that the "Today Show" airs footage from southwestern North Dakota. Later, the crew will be in Mott for its second annual Tractor Fest.

Today on "Today," viewers will see Elkin and his farm as part of a "Today Show" series on the top 10 "America the Beautiful" places. This is segment No. 5, and it's titled "Amber Fields of Grain," according to "Today Show" publicist Megan Kopf.

Kopf said viewers can look for the segment during the show's 8:30 a.m. CDT half-hour.

The filming was organized through the North Dakota Grain Growers Association, and Sheena Johnson said the association agreed to keep mum about the content.

Elkin said he wasn't exactly sure himself what it was all about and said the film crew had been at his place Sunday and Wednesday in advance of going live this morning.

"Nobody's let me know what it's all about," Elkin said Wednesday. "They're just pulling into the yard now."

He said his wheat crop this year is variable - quite good to average - depending on the location. He's getting better yields in Stark County than further north in Dunn County.

Other than feeling a little bit in the dark about the film content, Elkin said the experience with the film crew "has been fun."

Later this month, a "Today Show" crew will pull into Mott, along with NBC reporter Ron Mott, in time for Mott's second annual Tractor Fest, on Aug. 25.

Mott Mayor Troy Mosbrucker said, "Mott's getting pretty wild, with NBC coming for the Tractor Fest."

Mott, an award-winning reporter, frequently reports for NBC's Nightly News. He hass reported on Hurricane Katrina and, more recently, the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

When Mott is in Mott, he and the New York-based film crew, with support from KFYR , will film two segments. One will cover the tractor festival and the history of the tractor in rural America, and will likely air on "Weekend Today." The other segment will feature Mott the town and the surrounding area, while the reporter Mott has fun exploring a town by his same name.

The Mott Visionary group invited Mott to attend, and he's also been asked to announce the Tractor Fest parade, which already has 50 tractors registered.

Mosbrucker said it turned out the "Today Show" was looking for some topics to cover on rural America, and the invitation fit the bill.