By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Texas watermelon growers are seeing good harvests and high-quality fruit, but low prices and unpredictable weather have made this summer anything but sweet.

“Prices are probably the lowest I’ve seen in many years,” Dr. Juan Anciso, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension horticulture program leader, said. “That’s not good news for growers, but consumers should be finding high-quality, sweet watermelons and value.”

Last year, wholesale watermelon prices ranged from 18 to 22 cents per pound. Now, growers are seeing 14 to 18 cents per pound. And compared to the 2023 season, it’s a drop of over 30 cents.

But growing conditions have been ideal for watermelons.

“The watermelon season has been pretty good,” said Brian Dilorio of Dilorio Farms in Hempstead. “It was very dry, which you want with watermelon farming in the beginning or in the early spring before summer hits. The harvest has been strong. The quality is high, and there’s more to come.”

Dry conditions and warm temperatures early in the season have led to few pests and disease issues for growers and high brix counts—a measure of the fruit’s sugar content.

Recent rains, however, have introduced new obstacles for the Dilorio family.

“The more rain, the more mud. Tractors get stuck, and we can’t get in to get the watermelons out,” he said.

Still, his focus remains on quality.

“We try to stay hyper focused on what we can control, which is growing the best product we can,” Dilorio said.

Lower prices aren’t the only challenge facing watermelon growers. Anciso noted input costs like labor, plastic mulch for weed control and drip irrigation are up 30% compared to recent years.

That combination of higher costs and lower prices could make it difficult to for growers to make a profit, which could influence Texas watermelon acres next season, according to Anciso.

“This season will be a tough one to break even,” Anciso said. “The season shaped up well for growers who had few issues and are seeing good, quality watermelons. But the markets really determine profitability in the produce business.”