Watermelon production in the United States decreased in 2020, while prices remained strong. According to the USDA Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, domestic fresh-market watermelon production totaled 3,419.9 million pounds in 2020, which is a decrease of 4.4% from the previous season.
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported that production in 2019 was 3,579.2 million pounds, and in 2018, it was 3.914.9 million pounds.
Production in Florida and Georgia decreased, while North Carolina increased. The USDA NASS also reported that the average price per pound was 17 cents in 2020, up 10% from the previous year.
Watermelon imports decreased 4.1% in 2020. Mexico is once again a huge exporter of watermelons, supplying 85% of the imports into the U.S. in 2020.
Imports were down 6.9% in January 2021, compared to 2020. Mexican shipments of watermelons in January were also 8.4% lower.
Watermelon exports increased 11.5% in 2020.
It was one of the few commodities not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After the initial shock that did impact South Florida producers in March 2020, retail demand picked up.
The February 2021 freeze in Texas may impact domestic watermelon supplies in future months.
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Alabama farmers continue to be impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. To help offset some of that financial loss, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) second Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) is reopening for enrollment on Monday, April 5.
The first CFAP began with 13,386 applicants. The USDA provided more than $94 million in payments to Alabama producers. CFAP 2 began in the fall of 2020. A total of 13,561 applications were approved in Alabama for payments totaling more than $92 million.
CFAP 2
The same CFAP 2 program from last fall will be reopening out of concerns that not all producers were aware of the program’s details and eligibility. According to Alabama Cooperative Extension System Specialist and Assistant Professor Adam Rabinowitz, some producers received insurance and other disaster loss payments in 2019 that affected their initial eligibility.
“To account for these issues, the program will be reopening to allow new applicants and revised applications,” Rabinowitz said.
Agricultural producers of more than 250 commodities who share in the risk of producing a community are eligible for this program.
Registration
Applications will be available online beginning April 5. For producers who do not currently have a relationship with FSA, there will be additional information to complete.
Alabama: Temperatures in March were comparable with or up to 7.9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than historical averages. Rainfall ranged from 2.6 inches to 14.6 inches, though heavy rain was recorded during the latter part of the month. It improved drought conditions but also halted field work.
Photo by Clint Thompson/Shows Georgia peach tree in bloom.
Producers impacted by Hurricane Sally last September continue to repair fields and damaged structures.
Florida: March temperatures were on average 2.2 degrees warmer compared to historical averages. Rainfall was as high as 6.5 inches in Okaloosa County. But at the end of the month, the state was 49% abnormally dry and 1% in moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Various fruits and vegetables were planted and marketed. Whiteflies and pest pressure were noted on vegetable crops in South Florida. Citrus fruit harvested for the fresh market included white and red grapefruit, Valencia oranges, as well as Honey, Tango and Royal tangerines.
Georgia: March temperatures were on average 3.4 degrees warmer than historical values. Total rainfall was as high as 13.5 inches in Rabun County. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 21% of the state was abnormally dry. Frequent rain showers in latter March saturated fields and reduced field activities.
Producers in South Georgia noted fields started to dry out, which allowed them to continuing planting. Peaches and blueberries were in full bloom. Vegetable growers planted some fields. Onion harvesting will begin soon. Pecan trees are also budding in multiple counties.
Georgia is no longer second fiddle when it comes to pecan production. According to the USDA Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, Georgia is once again the largest pecan producer after being bested by New Mexico the previous two years. Production rose 95% to 142 million pounds last year. It is showing signs of recovery from Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Statewide bearing acreage remained steady at 129,000 acres, with yield per acre is estimated at 1,100 pounds per acre, an increase 534 pounds from the 2019-20 season.
U.S. pecan production was at 302 million pounds utilized in-shell. It’s an 18% increase and 4% higher than the October 2020 forecast of 292 million pounds.
While production exploded last season, prices imploded. The USDA reports that the average grower price for pecans dropped from $1.84 per pound in 2019 to $1.32 per pound in 2020. This is likely attributed to an increase in supply and high beginning stocks.
As a result, the value of production dropped from $471 million to $398.8 million.
China remains one of the top markets for U.S. pecans with more than 70% share of in-shell exports, from October 2020 to January 2021.
N.C. State Extension cautions strawberry producers to apply row covers to their plants in anticipation of freezing temperatures that will linger into the weekend.
A freeze warning started Thursday night and will continue Friday night. But conditions will improve on Saturday, though there still is a chance for a frost from Saturday night to Sunday.
According to N.C. State Extension, the morning of highest concern is Saturday morning. A high pressure system will allow winds to decrease and ground temperatures to cool. It is likely to be several degrees below freezing in many areas. This frost and ground freeze will extend into Georgia as well.
Farmers are encouraged to apply double covers in areas where temperatures are forecast to be below 20 degrees. It’s also important to have sprinklers set up and in place in case they’re needed.
Sometimes vegetable and specialty crop growers must think outside the box to remain sustainable amid high input costs and devastating diseases.
What if seaweed could be used to aid in the quality of strawberries, bell peppers or tomatoes? Seaweed is a biostimulant that is part of the biological crop protection products that vegetable and specialty crop producers are increasingly using this year.
Biostimulants like seaweed are valuable components of agricultural production. If used in concert with regular chemical applications that growers are already utilizing, biostimulants can provide additional protection against unwanted pests, diseases and weeds that impact plants. Growers know they are going to encounter these challenges every year, and Florida’s environment is already conducive to these obstacles occurring. Adding another layer of protection with biostimulants can bring your crop to the next level.
Proven Positive Effects
“Numerous studies have revealed a wide range of beneficial effects of seaweed extract applications on plants, such as early seed germination and establishment, improved crop performance and yield, elevated resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, and enhanced postharvest shelf-life of perishable products,” states the research paper. “Seaweed components such as macro and micro-elements nutrients, amino acids, vitamins, cytokinonines, auxins and Abscissic acid (AB-A)-like growth substance affect cellular metabolism in treated plants leading to enhanced growth and crop yield.”
Seaweed extracts’ biochemical composition consists of different minerals, vitamins, oils, fats, acids, antioxidants and hormones. While the makeup is extremely complex, it has led to success for growers in agricultural uses for centuries.
According to the research paper titled “Trends in Seaweed Extract Based Biostimulants: Manufacturing Process and Beneficial Effect on Soil-Plant Systems” (EL Boukhari MEM, Barakate M., Bouhia Y., Lyamlouli K., 2020) published in Plants scientific journal, the use of seaweeds in agriculture dates back thousands of years ago.
“During the ancient Roman times, plant seedlings were covered with algae to promote their growth,” states the Plants paper. “In the coastal area of Europe, farmers incorporated seaweeds in the soil or used it as a compost. Starting from 1948, 18 countries had developed their seaweed resources for fertilizers.”
The Plants paper explains that plant biostimulants, are “any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrients content.”
Seaweed extracts comprise a major portion of the biostimulant market around the world, resulting in its high value. “Seaweed extracts constitute more than 33% of the total biostimulant market and are predicted to reach a value of $894 million euro in 2022,” states the Plants research.
Biostimulant Boosts Production
C Green has identified specific active compounds capable of generating more solid and safer cell differentiation and division. Once the fertilization process occurs, differentiation and division of cells occurs. The goal of any grower is for their crop to achieve its maximum genetic potential, thus producing the highest possible yield. The better the cells are differentiated, the better the cells will be divided. This will help the grower to obtain more marketable fruit, including not only higher yields, but also improved size and more uniformity.
The compounds that actively contribute to assure these crucial metabolic functions are phytohormones (including auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, brassinosteroids and polyamines) and/or specific carbohydrates such as beta glucan, more commonly called laminarin.
These compounds are contained in the VEGRO® biostimulant product. The purpose of this product is to help growers enhance the quality of their production by producing a healthier crop with natural active compounds capable of improving the efficacy of fungicides and/or bactericides. In addition, VEGRO® can be used to produce healthier crops when vegetables are faced with pressure from diseases such as bacterial spot, anthracnose, botrytis and powdery mildew.
Hungry for Disease Help
VEGRO® has proven to aid in the efficacy of fungicides against those diseases while also enhancing the quality yields of those commodities.
If growers understand that their crop will face high disease pressure every year, they are more likely to apply additional chemical inputs as part of their management program.
However, as more fungicides and pesticides are applied, this makes resistance more likely to develop. Resistance occurs when a disease or pest becomes immune to a chemical application because it has been overused. That is why growers are currently encouraged to rotate chemistries so that resistance is less likely to happen.
To learn more about C Green Ag Biotechnology’s VEGRO®, see the U.S. agronomic data available here. Growers will discover more at the website on how they can reduce the negative impacts of diseases that affect their production.
Farmers agree: H-2A is needed but it can be improved. Foreign workers are needed because of the lack of a domestic workforce. It needs improvement because it is a cumbersome and very expensive process.
“It needs to be simplified. It is just the hardest, most complicated thing to do and to stay legal,” said Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida. “If you just stumble a little bit of a hiccup, it will cost you a boat load of money.
“It’s scary because you’re working with the government and you really have to walk the line. Even if you’re walking the line, you can always just mess up easily. Paperwork can mess you up, and it’ll cost you a boat load of money.”
What is H-2A?
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs. But the program is complicated and can result in delays of workers arriving to their destinations on time.
“It could definitely be streamlined a lot more. We’re constantly fighting delays is probably my biggest concern with it,” said Justin Corbett of Corbett Brothers Farms in Lake Park, Georgia.
Florida and Georgia are two of the states who use the program the most. Florida was the largest user during the first three quarters of 2020. It listed 28,005 certified positions. Georgia listed a little more than 23,000 certified positions.
Lack of Domestic Workers
The lack of a domestic workforce leads to the program’s necessity. People are not working on the farm. They have no desire to, now more than ever.
“Unfortunately, there’s just not enough domestic labor that’s incentivized to do this work,” Florida farmer Eric Hopkins said. “There’s unemployment and government handouts and everything right now. I’m reading in the paper today, even restaurants can’t find people to work in the restaurants because people are making money not to work. We’re going to have to change our mindset and get everybody back to functioning in this country.
“For a good reason sometimes, people have grown accustomed to not working. We’ve got to get retrained back into hustling again.”
The latest attempt at reform is the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. It has already been passed by the House and now resides in the Senate, though some agricultural organizations insist modifications need to be made.
High Costs
Maybe the most concerning part of H-2A is its high costs. The new Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) that was recently approved increased Florida’s wages by 3.2% to $12.08 per hour. Georgia and Alabama’s rates increased by 0.9% to $11.81. That does not account for housing and transportation costs.
Then there’s the concern of a potential $15 an hour minimum wage that is the wish of the Biden Administration. Florida just passed a minimum wage increase that will increase by $1 increments until 2026 when it is $15 per hour.
“It’s going to make it very tough. H2A will go up in accordance with it,” Hopkins said. “A lot of times these programs are set up to have people make more money. What we’re going to have to do is cut back on their hours and find ways to get more mechanized, unfortunately.”
Georgia farmers are hopeful a similar increase is not adopted across the country.
“Labor is our No. 1 input cost. To talk about where AEWR is now to $15 an hour without an increase in sale price, it would put us out of business,” Corbett said.
Watermelons being researched on the UGA Tifton Campus. By Clint Thompson 6–6-17
From production to harvest, the battle is not yet over for watermelon farmers. There is the subject of post-harvest care, specifically, with storage options. Joe Kemble, Alabama Extension vegetable specialist, cautions growers that watermelons are not adapted to long-term storage.
“They will last two to three weeks at most in storage,” Kemble said. “If you’re looking at long-term storage, say I’m harvesting today, tomorrow or the next day and I’m not going to market until Friday, short-term storage at 50 to 60 degrees and around 90% relative humidity is ideal,” Kemble said. “Can you store watermelons and cantaloupes together? Ideally, no. They have two different regimes of temperatures they require to really maintain their quality.”
If watermelons are stored at low temperatures, they can be subject to chilling injury. This can cause pitting and off-flavors. They can also lose sweetness if they are stored outside in the environment, even in the shade.
“For you as the seller or grower, you may not see the problem. It’s the end user, the person who gets it at the end and opens it. They’re the ones that’s going to see the problems if they have chilling injury or if they developed off flavors,” Kemble said.
He also warns producers to never drop, throw or walk on watermelons. It can cause internal bruising and breakdown of the flesh.
Georgia’s hemp production is expected to decrease in 2021. Tim Coolong, associate professor in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, believes there are various factors that will contribute to hemp acreage being down compared to last season.
“I think a lot of growers are going more towards, kind of, I’ll say smokable flower. It’s more of a boutique product,” Coolong said. “The flower bud that you’re selling has to have a great appearance; has to have a good smell. In order to do those kinds of products, it’s very hard to do large acreage. It’s very labor intensive. You’re going to be more apt to see people just doing a few acres of that type of market.”
Oversupply Problem
Then there’s overproduction and the impact last year’s oversupply had on market prices.
“You can actually produce quite a bit of CBD from one acre of hemp. When you have hundreds or thousands of hemp planted, that actually equates to a lot of CBD isolates. I think like many things, farmers overproduced,” Coolong said. “We’re very good at growing stuff. We’re excellent at growing a lot of high-yielding crops. I do think we overproduced so people want to cut back to let the market catch up.
“Just like a lot of other veggie crops, if we cut back on acreage a little bit, it’d probably increase the prices.”
Mike Evans, director of plant industries who oversees the hemp program at the Georgia Department of Agriculture, said there were 144 licenses issued in 2020 with 1,450 acres intended for hemp production and 186 greenhouses.
As of mid-March, Coolong said there were about 90 growers who had received licenses to grow hemp in 2021.
Nursery Value Select Growers Need to Make Insurance Decisions Soon
Tallahassee, Fla. — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (USDA RMA) remind Florida Nursery Value Select growers that the final date to apply for crop insurance coverage for the 2022 crop year is May 1. Current policyholders who wish to adjust their existing coverage also have until the May 1, 2021 sales closing date to do so.
Growers applying for the first time may purchase coverage at any time.
Nikki Fried Florida Agriculture Commissioner
“As Florida’s nursery growers continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we thank our federal partners for making available resources to protect their livelihoods and help their agricultural businesses thrive,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “We encourage our nursery growers to get informed and take advantage of this coverage before the deadline.”
Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the rural economy. Coverage is available for Nursery Value Select growers in select Florida counties. Please contact your insurance agent to see if your county is covered.
Growers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2022 crop year. RMA is authorizing additional flexibilities due to coronavirus while continuing to support producers, working through Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) to deliver services, including processing policies, claims and agreements.
