The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) seeks nominations of qualified watermelon producers, handlers, importers and one public member for nine seats on the National Watermelon Promotion Board. The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint individuals to succeed members whose terms of office expire on Dec. 31, 2023. All appointed members will serve three-year terms. Nominees are needed …
Florida Watermelon Producers Could Start Planting This Week
By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon producers are expected to start planting this week in the Suwanee Valley area. Warmer temperatures and the potential for high market prices early in the season are enticing growers to go ahead and start planting earlier than normal, said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) regional specialized Extension agent …
North Florida Watermelon Producers Could Start Planting This Week
By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon producers are expected to start planting this week in the Suwanee Valley area. Warmer temperatures and the potential for high market prices early in the season are enticing growers to go ahead and start planting earlier than normal, said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) regional specialized Extension …
Input Costs Remain Concern of Watermelon Growers
By Clint Thompson Watermelon growers in the Suwanee Valley Region are gearing up for the upcoming season. Their main challenge to a successful season is the obstacle that concerned them all of last year – high input costs. It is a subject that Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in …
Farming Safety Emphasized at Watermelon Meeting
By Clint Thompson Farming is an inherently dangerous occupation. But growers don’t usually think about the dangers that come with driving a tractor and working with various pieces of equipment. Not when it is a practice they have done day in and day out for decades. It is a concept not lost on Serap Gorucu, assistant professor in the University …
Fumigation: Pros and Cons Discussed at Annual Watermelon Meeting
By Clint Thompson Despite stringent regulatory requirements and high costs, fumigation remains a vital tool in a specialty crop producers’ toolbox when managing certain pests. “The reality is there’s just some pests and some crops where that is our most reliable tactic,” said Josh Freeman, an agronomist and regional manager with TriEst Ag Group. “Consider peppers for example. You have …
Watermelon Institute’s Annual Meeting Educates Producers Ahead of Season
By Clint Thompson The Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute’s annual meeting in Fanning Springs, Florida on Thursday came at just the right time for the region’s producers. They are about a month away from breaking ground for next year’s crop. The meeting allowed them the opportunity to learn about the latest research at the University of Florida Institute of Food and …
MELCAST System Could Help Watermelon Producers Reduce Fungicide Sprays
By Clint Thompson Imagine a system in place that would aid watermelon growers in knowing when to apply fungicide sprays for management of foliar diseases. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is conducting research to verify the effectiveness of one such system. Mathews Paret, UF/IFAS associate professor of plant pathology, discussed MELCAST, a spray advisory …
Watermelon Day at N.C. State Farmers Market
RALEIGH – Giant watermelons, watermelon royalty and free slices of the summertime fruit – what’s not to love about Watermelon Day, scheduled for today at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, North Carolina (N.C.). Activities including a giant watermelon contest, visits by the N.C. Watermelon Queen Emory New and the National Watermelon Queen Bethany Barfield, live music and face painting …
Artificial Intelligence: Helps Detect Watermelon Disease Quickly, Accurately
The needs of Florida watermelon producers motivate Yiannis Ampatzidis to use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect pathogens early and accurately. One such disease, downy mildew, spreads like wildfire, said Ampatzidis, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. In newly published research, Ampatzidis used spectral reflectance — the energy a …