Title: Watermelon | Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
Headings: Watermelon
Watermelon
Introduction
Marketing
Production
Prices
Financials
Sources and References
Nutritive Value of Foods (USDA ARS, 2002)
Fruit and Tree Nut Yearbook Tables. (USDA, ERS, 2016)
Watermelon
Farmers Found
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Content: While watermelons are grown across the U.S., most production occurs in the top four states (Texas, Florida, Georgia and California), producing approximately 69 percent of all grown in the U.S. The average watermelon yield per acre in the U.S in 2014 was 31,800 pounds. In terms of production, watermelon is one of the three top crops produced in the US, along with onions and head lettuce. All but about 24 percent of domestic consumption of watermelons comes from U.S. growers; the rest comes primarily from Mexico or Central American countries. Seedless varieties are in increasing demand, and the share of seedless watermelon in total watermelon shipments in the United States increased from 51 percent in 2003 to nearly 85 percent in 2014. Seedless varieties, typically started as transplants rather than from direct seeding, require more intensive management, with the cost differences generally visible at the retail level. U.S. Cash receipts for watermelons was $578.8 million in 2016. Prices
The average US farm price for watermelons in 2017 was $14.90 per 100 pounds of melon. The national seasonal average retail price for non-organic, red-fleshed, seeded type ranged between $0.31to $0.38 per pound, and $0.46 to $0.55 per pound for red-fleshed seedless. Financials
Based on average yields per acre and average price of fresh market watermelons, producers, on average, grossed approximately $4,300 per acre in 2014;