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Record-setting weather good, bad and odd for Central Coast farmers

Twitter: BreakingSLONews

For many local farmers, rainfall during this critical drought was a welcome sound.

In the Paso Robles area, where some of the biggest rainfall totals were recorded, grapes are king.

Jason Haas is the General Manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard. He said the rain gives the vines extra energy and washes dust away, which helps with photosynthesis.

"You would only worry if it stayed muggy and overcast, where you would then start to worry about things like mildew, but the forecast doesn't suggest that. So we really think that this is a great thing. It's Just weird," said Haas.

Strawberries are another top crop for our area.

Gerald Holmes runs the strawberry research center at Cal Poly and is not as optimistic about the stormy weather.

"[Growers] don't want the water falling directly on the fruit," Holmes said. "Then to have that rainfall followed by high temperatures and high humidity leads to poor quality fruit and a lot of rotting."

Expect strawberry prices to go up a bit in the coming weeks, as farmers clear their fields.