The watermelon industry is extremely popular in Georgia, with watermelons grown on approximately 20,000 acres each year. Still, consistently making a profit requires constant innovation and hard work.
Picking, grading, packing, and shipping melons remains the most costly aspect of watermelon production. Irrigating fields and applying newer, more effective fungicides to combat watermelon diseases are also two of the more expensive input costs.
Scientists with the UGA Extension and the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences conduct research trials to help farmers produce a cost-efficient and high-yielding watermelon crop.
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Researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute have constructed the perfect watermelon—returning “lost” genes from the domesticated fruit’s wild relatives that improve both taste and resilience during the growing process.
Meet the kids behind the Summer Market Lamb Show in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and hear why they would rather spend their Saturdays showing lambs than doing anything else!
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According to surveys by the University of Georgia in 2015, feral hogs caused approximately $100 million in agricultural damage just in that state. They continue to be a costly problem for rural communities across the state, reports Damon Jones of Georgia Farm Monitor.
Save this list to have on hand when you hit your local grocery store, farmerfarmers market, or CSA all season long!
