melons

Georgia ag labor forum announces speakers

Speakers have been publicized for the Georgia Agricultural Labor Relations Forum. The event is scheduled for Aug. 20-21 in Tifton, Georgia. It is coordinated by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA). Speakers and... more »

Melons hosts for cucurbit downy mildew detected in New England

Melons are hosts for cucurbit downy mildew (CDM), a disease that harms cucurbits, has been spotted in New England. CDM was reported the week of Aug. 5 on cucumber crops by growers in Franklin County,... more »

Watermelon Board opens comment period for assessment increase

The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) has proposed a 3 cent per hundredweight increase in its assessment rate, raising the total to 9 cents per hundredweight. This proposed hike, split between growers and shippers and... more »

California melon growers prepare for July 4 demand

California watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydews and mixed melons will arrive in grocery stores in time for the Independence Day holiday, an important marketing window melon growers and shippers strive to meet each season. “It is critical... more »

Onion, watermelon veteran joins G&R Farms

Vidalia onion and pecan grower G&R Farms has added Rawls Neville as sales manager. Neville joined the third generation Glennville, Georgia, grower on April 1. Neville began his career... more »

Enza Zaden refocuses departments to serve grower customers

In a change that reflects global seed breeder Enza Zaden’s awareness of accelerated change in the seed industry, the company has integrated two of its departments. During the past three years, Enza Zaden integrated departments... more »

Leger & Son avoids ‘unforced errors’ in growing watermelons

Before Leger & Son can harvest a single watermelon, there are many considerations: soil health, pests and disease challenges and water availability. Nearly six decades after the family began farming watermelons, the third-generation company grows... more »

UGA leads effort to tackle emerging threat to watermelons

Growers of cucurbits — which include melons, pumpkin, squash and cucumbers — face numerous challenges in production, leading to decreased profitability and less produce on grocery shelves. Weeds, insect pests and plant diseases are prominent... more »

Ark Foods introduces mini watermelons

Ark Foods, the modern-day farming company on a mission to showcase the magic of vegetables, is expanding into fruit with a pilot project for watermelons. The company has a trial of four specialty watermelon varieties,... more »

Despite crop delay, California melon growers applaud crop

California farmers say this season’s melon crop was delayed by about two weeks due to cool temperatures and wet fields, which affected early harvest of watermelons, cantaloupes and honeydews. It postponed melon deliveries to supermarkets... more »