Bret wasn't bad news for everyone. The fruit is going to be larger than normal. Walsh estimated 3 inches of rain fell on his groves in Mission over the weekend. Jay Johnson, farm manager for Plantation Produce, said his fields of bell peppers, cabbage, parsley and onions benefited from the weekend's rain, although muddy fields will delay further planting of cabbage. Sugar cane fields also will benefit from the rain, building up the plants before the harvest begins in October.
Rainwater is better than irrigation water because it has less salt content.
As for livestock, there were no losses reported at the King Ranch, where 55,000 head of cattle were left to fend for themselves during the storm.