Melons

Referendum set for watermelon growers

USDA has scheduled a referendum for eligible watermelon producers, handlers and importers.The referendum, scheduled for Jan. 13 through Jan. 27, 2014, will allow watermelon producers, handlers and importers to vote on amending the Watermelon Research... more »

California growers fighting tomato bindweed

Most of California's processing tomato growers have had their fair share of weeds to contend with. But in the past couple of years, field bindweed has become an increasingly difficult weed to deal with using... more »

Seed industry sees continued growth

The commercial production and sale of vegetable seeds continue to be bolstered by increased market demand for most varieties.A report issued in August by Transparency Market Research indicated that the global commercial seeds market was... more »

Jensen brothers charged in cantaloupe incident

Cantaloupe growers Eric and Ryan Jensen were charged in federal court Sept. 26 with six counts of allegedly introducing adulterated cantaloupe into interstate commerce. Eric Jensen, 37, and Ryan Jensen, 33, brothers who owned and... more »

Use of protected culture is widespread in Vermont

Long, harsh winters pose particularly stark challenges for vegetable producers in the fertile Connecticut River Valley.The weather obstacles are being met by a proliferation of greenhouses and high tunnels, which are used to extend the... more »

Too much rain in the South, too little produce on the shelves

Peaches, the gem of the Southern summer, are just not so sweet this year.The tomatoes in Tennessee are splitting. Tobacco in North Carolina is drowning. And watermelons, which seem as if they would like all... more »

Cantaloupe groups gain traction on safety

The only way to go is up.Still smarting from a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., in 2011, followed the next year by a salmonella outbreak tied to... more »