July 17, 2009

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Laurel Farmers Auction Market

Delaware Watermelons

Market Snapshot*

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was not yet listing prices for Delaware watermelons. Following are prices for 24-inch bins of red-flesh watermelons from Georgia and North Carolina:

Georgia: Seeded, size 35s, $9-10.

North Carolina: Seedless, size 36s and 45s, $12-13; size 60s, mostly $12.

* Prices from the USDA's Fruit & Vegetable Market News, July 14.

The Shipping Scene

Unusually cool weather has delayed Delaware's watermelon crop by a week or so, but some growers planned to start picking this week, and volume should build steadily throughout July.

"We had an awful cool and damp spring," said Tom Wright, manager of Laurel Farmers Auction Market, Laurel, which represents several large and small watermelon growers.

In fact, as late as last week, nighttime temperatures were reported in the mid-50s.

"That's not good growing weather for watermelons," Wright said. He'd prefer nighttime temperatures in the upper 60s or low 70s and daytime temperatures in the 90s - "not blistering, but hot."

Up to 85% of the watermelons the organization ships are seedless, but some markets, like places in New York where they're sold by the slice, still prefer large, seeded melons, Wright said.

Sizing should be typical with plenty of small and medium melons available, he said. The sugar level might be down a bit because of the cool weather, not enough for most consumers to notice.

Wright said it's hard to predict what prices will be this season. He expected prices to be down last year because of the sagging economy, but they ended up quite strong, he said.

Dosse Givens Inc. in Seaford should start to pick light volume of watermelons in about a week, said owner Dosse Givens.

Rain, hail, disease and planting delays will make early supplies tight, but that should change by early August.

"Then there's going to be a flood of melons," he said.

He expected another surge in early September.

"After Labor Day, it's going to be terrible because so many planted late," he said. Givens said he usually plants a late crop, but he decided to forgo that this year because of the potential for oversupplies.

Although good watermelons will be available, he said careful grading will have to be done to eliminate melons affected by the bad weather conditions.

At Vincent Farms in Laurel, owner Ray Vincent said volume should start picking up next week and full volume should come on by the first of August.

Cool weather delayed the crop by about 10 days he said, and localized rain events could affect some of the melons. But for the most part, he said, "At this point, they look real good."

Size could be off because of the cool weather, especially in comparison with last year, when watermelons were unusually large.

He expected plenty of medium-size melons, like 45s, which most large chains prefer, and some 60s.

Some growers will offer the small, "personal-size" watermelons, but although Vincent Farms experimented with them in the past, the company will not offer them this summer.

"They're a tough sell in the summertime," he said, when consumers can buy a full-size watermelon for the same price.

He estimated that acreage in Delaware may be up slightly this year, but the effects of the cool weather likely will offset any increase in volume.

The Orlando, Fla.-based National Watermelon Promotion Board is helping growers promote watermelons during National Watermelon Month in July, said Gordon Hunt, marketing director.

And the Maryland-Delaware Watermelon Association will be promoting its regional Mar-Delicious brand for the fourth year, said Will Hales, an active member of the association and president of Coastal Growers LLC, Salisbury, Md.

The association will sponsor in-store events starting in late July and early August to develop awareness among retailers and consumers about where their melons come from, Hales said.

"We've gotten quite a reputation for watermelons," he said.

The association also has "a huge branding campaign" that includes radio and television commercials alerting consumers that Mar-Delicious watermelons are coming and encouraging them to pick one up today, he said.

Maggie Bailey, National Watermelon Association queen, will team up with Jessica Haden, Mar-Del queen, to promote the melons locally, Hales said.

(By Tom Burfield, Western correspondent for The Packer. The Packer and Red Book Credit Services are part of food360º, a division of Vance Publishing Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill.)

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