We’re in the heart of watermelon season in South Carolina.

It’s a very strong watermelon season in South Carolina due to fairly consistent rainfall and temperatures.

The melons have great flavor this year and volume is good.

Unfortunately, Florida’s and Georgia’s seasons got pushed back a bit because of weather, so we’re seeing more fruit from those states than usual pushing into mid-July.

That means growers are having a hard time selling melons, and the prices aren’t what we’d like to see.

Those lower prices are good for consumers, though. Visit your local farmers market to buy some watermelon.

Nationwide, watermelon consumption has been increasing for the past several years.

More people are learning that watermelon is a nutritious, unique food.

Some ongoing trends include the availability of smaller melons, and varieties bred for the fast-growing fresh cut market.

Several of our staff attended Watermelon Field Day at the Clemson Edisto Research and Education Facility last week.

Field Day is a great opportunity to learn about melon varieties, hear from researchers, get pesticide credits, and even network. Staffers for a few of our federal legislators were on hand, as were some top leaders at Clemson.