Melons

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Cities Developing Urban Agriculture Codes

Urban agriculture has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to deal with vacant properties, revitalize neighborhoods, and provide job skills and nutrition to local residents struggling with poverty and a lack of access to fresh produce.

In Austin, Texas, a working group of the Sustainable Food Policy Board is meeting to clarify and update city code related to urban farms, livestock, size of farm, employees and dwellings, according to the Austin Chronicle.

The working group has been holding public sessions to gather input from urban farmers and community members about pending updates to the urban farm ordinance.

In April 2013, the Flint Farmers' Market reported that the Detroit City Council adopted the city's first urban agriculture zoning ordinance recognizing agriculture as a legitimate land use and setting standards for it.

Other cities working to update or create urban agriculture codes include Boston, Massachusetts;
Fort Collins, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon.

For more information, see USDA's National Ag Library webpage on Urban Agriculture.

Home » Commodities & Products » Vegetables » Melons

Overview

Melons belong to the cucurbit family, which also includes cucumbers. Cucurbits are thought to have originated in southern Mexico and Central America. Today’s predominant melon varieties include watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. For more information about watermelon, please see the Watermelon profile.

Historically, cantaloupe production accounts for the greatest share of production value. In 2010 the value of U.S. cantaloupe production continued to drop, falling to $314.4 million. The value of U.S. honeydew production also continued to drop, sinking to $49.6 million. (NASS 2011) April 2012 ... Melons

Other Links

Cantaloupe (production, costs, IPM, postharvest), University of California, Davis.
Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melons, Vegetables, National Ag Statistics Service (NASS), USDA - This report, issued five times a year, provides data on melons, including area harvested, prospective area, yield and production for major states.
Cantaloupe Production in California, Vegetable Research and Information Center, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2008.
Commodity Highlight: Watermelon, Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, June 2012 - Watermelon leads per capita use of all U.S. melon crops with a 60-percent share, followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.
Enzor Farms, Fair Bluff, North Carolina - This sixth-generation family farm has raised melons and sweet potatoes since 1850. The farm offers cantaloupes as well as watermelons for sale.
Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA.
Larriland Farm, Woodbine, Maryland - This pick-your-own fruit and vegetable farm is owned by Larry and Polly Moore. The farm has 15-plus acres of vegetables, including cantaloupes. It also has a 14-acre strawberry patch, peach, apple and cherry trees and several types of berries.
Melon Profiles, The New American Farmer, Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE), NIFA, USDA - Provides profiles of melon producers in New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Washington.
PlantFacts, Ohio State University - This Web site provides a full-text search engine of all extension and academic department information from all land-grant universities in the United States. Additionally, there are significant image and video databases, an FAQ database and a glossary.
Production Expenses of Specialized Vegetable and Melon Farms, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, 2008.
U.S. per capita food availability, ERS, USDA, 2008 - This dataset facilitates the creation of custom reports about fruits and vegetables.
Vegetables Annual Summary, NASS, USDA, 2011.
Vegetables and Melons Briefing, ERS, USDA.
Vegetables and Melons Outlook: Tables, ERS, USDA.
Vegetables and Melons Yearbook, ERS, USDA.
Weed Control in Cucurbit Crops (muskmelon, cucumber, squash and watermelon), University of Florida, revised 2007 - This research-based University of Florida document contains management practices for the control of weeds.

Links checked April 2012.

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