By Clint Thompson
North Florida watermelon farmers are on the cusp of another planting season. They are currently planning for next year’s crop. Part of that planning stage was attending the recent Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute.
Mark Warren, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension agent in Levy County, helped organize the event this year in Fanning Springs, Florida. He discussed the main topics atop growers’ minds.
“I think as always, how many acres are being grown? What are the prices going to look like? All of those crystal ball type of questions that we have that I don’t know if we really know. I hate to say it this way, but I feel like if you could even survey them, would you really know then?” Warren said.
“I think fusarium (wilt) is a topic we’ve heard discussed a lot today. It is one of the major challenges facing our region. Land is getting more and more difficult to come by, especially as we’re growing, and our communities are growing. As that happens we’re losing available land. Trying to contend with this terrible disease that really affects a lot of our guys is the challenge that’s facing us. That’s why we’re hearing a lot of those conversations on testing protocols and alternatives such as grafted plants.
“I think there’s conversations also going on with chemical opportunities, whether it be biological or man-made.”
One of the main topics this time of year is acreage. Warren believes acreage to hold steady despite a challenging 2025 season.
“This is high stakes gambling. The guys bellied up at the table last year, and they had a challenging year,” Warren said. “These guys are willing to take some risks, but they’ve got to make up for what they lost last year, and they’re not going to do that by not putting something on the table and throwing the dice.
“I see them throwing the dice, doubling down, not increasing acres, but just doing what they’ve got to do to make up for losses they had last year.”