SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif- Certain parts of the central coast are getting a lot of rainfall, and any kind of rain is good for agriculture. "The rainfall hasn't been significant yet but it's been enough to give us a nice steady rain to help the soil and help the crops that we have in the ground right now," said Dan Sutton of Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange.
Farm advisor Mark Gaskell said the rain is helping wash away the build up of salt from summer irrigation. "Normal rainfall is important to leach salts out of the root zone because salts can eventually accumulate and be damaging to the crops," said Dr. Mark Gaskell, a Farm Advisor. In the southern part of the central coast, San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara County is seeing below average rainfall, only 60-70 percent of normal rainfall totals since July 1st.
However, the northern part of the central coast, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties are seeing above average rainfall, over 120 percent of normal. The good news for growers, if you get enough rain, the water sticks around.
"We don't have to irrigate as much, so we are not drawing from the water in our aquifers, we are not running our pumps, we are not running out wells so we are using mother nature to help us do what we would normally do," said Sutton. All parts of the central coast are expecting some rain this weekend.
