Watermelon Production Budget for North Florida

Athearn, Kevin; Arouca, Marina Burani; Hochmuth, Robert C.; Freeman, Josh H.; Dufault, Nicholas S.; Broughton, Benjamin J.; Sánchez, Tatiana; Harlow, Luke; Pittman, H. Tyler; Warren, Margaret

doi:10.32473/edis-fe1104-2021

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Sources included semistructured interviews with four watermelon producers, clicker survey responses from 23 watermelon producers, experiment station trials, weather station data, and discussions with crop specialists. Cost data are based on a 2020 watermelon production budget developed for north Florida (Athearn et al, 2021). Details on information sources for each scenario and stochastic variable are provided below.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watermelon Planting Decisions with Multiple Risks: A Simulation Analysis

Athearn

Burani-Arouca

Dufault

et al. 2022

hortte

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Watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] growers choose transplanting dates every year considering multiple risk factors. Earlier harvests linked to earlier planting typically find more favorable markets, but earlier planting has higher risk of freeze damage. Research also indicates that risk of fusarium wilt (caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum) is higher during cooler weather, adding to the risk of planting earlier. Thus, growers need to balance market risk (e.g., getting a low price) and production risk (e.g., lower harvest or higher cost due to freezing temperatures or disease) in selecting a planting date. The objective of this analysis is to examine the effect of planting date on the distribution of potential economic returns and evaluate whether late planting could be a favorable risk-management strategy. Probability distributions are estimated for key risk factors based on input from watermelon growers, published price data, historical freeze data, experiment station trials, and expert discussions. The distribution of economic returns is then simulated for three planting windows (early, middle, and late) using simulation software. Results demonstrate planting date risk–return tradeoffs and indicate that late planting is unlikely to be preferable to middle planting, even when risk of fusarium wilt is high.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%