By Clint Thompson
There’s never been a question of North Florida watermelon growers being able to produce a crop. The question always lies with what the market is when that crop is ready for harvest.
Maybe more than any other year, that market needs to be productive for farmers in 2022, says Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida.
“Going into this coming year, the No. 1 concern is the cost of inputs, the cost of the fertilizer, the cost of the plastic mulch, drip irrigation; all of those inputs have gone up significantly. It puts the farmers at a much greater risk in that we are going to have to have a good market going into the spring 2022,” Hochmuth said.
One factor that will impact the market next season will be how supply looks coming out of South Florida.
“If the crop is short, so to speak, south of us, then it comes to us with a need for more watermelons. That plays into our favor. I think that’s one of the things that would help us,” Hochmuth said. “It doesn’t necessarily help the ones south of us. That definitely has an impact on us. I feel like the way things are going, to expect to have a continuous supply of good, fresh watermelons, the buyer is going to have to understand they’re going to have to pay more for that kind of a product.
“I’m hoping that’s the other piece of the puzzle that in the long run the consumer understands to get that kind of a good quality product that they’re going to have to be more willing to pay.”