Bay Area Farmers Happy to Get Latest Round of Precipitation
GILROY (KPIX 5) -- Farmers in the Bay Area were excited that the latest storm brought another round of much-needed rain in the hopes it will bring them closer to the end of what has been a difficult drought.
Many in the agricultural and farming industries of the Santa Clara Valley are relieved the region took in substantial rainfall over the past few days.
"It's a huge relief for us to see water come through. It's a great relief," said Santa Clara County Farm Bureau President Erin Gil. "It's a huge help all the way around for all of California, for us to see rainfall. It's just a matter of being able to store it when it does happen."
Paul Mirassou, partner at B & T Farms in Gilroy, was pleased with the rain. However, he knows a few days of rain won't end the drought.
"It's nice to get a good start, but we've still got a long ways to go," he said.
He and other farmers in the region have had to find ways to adapt because of the drought, such as implementing drip-irrigation systems. So when rain comes naturally - they hope the ground soaks up as much as possible.
"As long as we can keep our aquifer up, then we'll be able to pump as we need to irrigate our crops, and grow the crops that we need to grow," he said.
Gil says significant rainfall can help set the stage for next year's crops, while also taking some stress away from the growers.
"It's super important to be able to recharge the groundwater and what we're going to use for this coming year," he said. "It relieves a lot of stress among growers thinking about restrictions."
