By Clint Thompson
Florida’s sweet and highly productive watermelon crop was the topic of conversation at the Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute meeting in Fanning Springs, Florida, on Thursday, Nov. 30.
Producers and industry leaders across the Suwanee Valley Region met to discuss production in a crop that thrived in quality and quantity this past season.
Mark Warren, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension agent in Levy County, discussed the importance of the meeting with next season looming just a couple of months away.
“We are definitely moving into that season. There are a lot of considerations being made right now. Whether we’re talking about controlled release fertilizers or whether we’re talking about a more precise management of our irrigation systems, they’re all subjects that need to be considered as they look at this upcoming season,” Warren said. “I think one of the greatest things that we keep learning are some of these tools that are available to us through the soil moisture sensors or through technology such as the polymer coatings on fertilizer; how can we utilize these to be more efficient, to be less environmentally risky? We’re just learning to utilize the tools available to us to gain greater efficiencies.”
Detailed Talks
The talks pertained to grafting research, controlled release fertilizers, disease and weed management and pollinators. Each was designed to help producers stay sustainable now and into the future. Efficiency in production is vital this year considering there is likely to be an increase in acreage.
“Last year was a pretty incredible season,” Warren said. “There are some concerns that’s going to draw some more people or added acres into the program this coming year. We definitely had extended seasons this past year. The market held up. The plants held up. It was a good year last year.
“I do (expect acres to increase). I don’t know that officially, and I don’t know that they’ll actually get them in the ground, but yeah, I’ve heard rumors of added acres in places.”
Warren said Levy County is the top watermelon-producing county in the state, with 2,500 acres in 2017.