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.
Related Stories
FarmHERs Cassie and Allie are two sisters who grew up on a farm and, as adults, have taken their love of agriculture to a whole new level with their Alabama operation, Backyard Orchards.
Harvest blueberries in the blueberry capital of Georgia. Meet Ann Wildes and her fields of fresh fruit.
Meet RanchHER Renee Strickland of Strickland Ranch and Exporting. Headquartered in Myakka City, Florida, Strickland and her husband export cattle around the world.