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In my last column, I mentioned the upcoming Watermelon Grower's Meeting which will be held on Friday, January 28th, in Kennett. Since that is less than two weeks away, I thought I should give a few more details on what we have planned for the meeting.

I usually try to accommodate grower requests when planning the meeting. This year, I had an unusual request. A Southeast Missouri watermelon grower had received a visit from the U.S. Department of Labor, and had been found in violation of several laws regarding migrant housing and wage issues. This had resulted in a fine, and the grower said that we ought to cover this topic at the melon grower's meeting to help other growers avoid penalties.

So I started talking to growers, sponsors, and other watermelon industry people in our area. Almost all of them were in favor of discussing this topic at our meeting.

I initially contacted Gale Graves, who works for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. She is the State Monitor Advocate for the Migrant Seasonal Farm Worker Program. Gale is quite knowledgeable when it comes to Federal law on migrant issues, and has been very helpful in working with farmers to help them comply with the law. She readily agreed to come and talk at our meeting.

The second speaker that we will be hearing from is Richard Longo, Assistant District Director for the U.S. Department of Labor in St. Louis. He also readily agreed to come talk to our growers. He will bring along handouts that will describe the law and what exactly growers must do to comply.

The importance of this topic was brought home to me again this past week, when a grower who farms in another part of Missouri called me to ask about the meeting. He has attended the meeting in the past, and was wondering what we would be covering this year. When I mentioned the above topic, he said "I'll be there for sure." Upon asking a few questions, I found out that he too had been visited and fined this summer. So this is indeed a timely topic, and by educating the growers, we can hopefully help them to avoid penalties.

We will also hear from Dr. Lewis Jett, who will discuss his trials with personal-sized melons last summer. We had several growers try a few of these out last year, and the results were mixed. Dr. Jett's research associate tells me that some of these melons definitely do better than others, so if you are interested in this specialty market, you will want to hear the results of this trial.

Finally, I will be bringing a talk that will review some of the disasters that melon growers encountered this year. These ranged from unpreventable factors, like weather, market demand and prices, to factors that we might have a little more influence over, such as disease control. I will be showing photos of many of these problems, including newer diseases in our area, and will give some suggestions of fungicides that can help to keep the diseases under control.

Other speakers will discuss the Missouri-Arkansas Watermelon Association and the National Watermelon Promotion Board and its activities. As usual, we will have a trade show where you can see the latest in seeds, chemicals, supplies and services which will keep you updated on the latest the industry has to offer.

The trade show and registration will start at 8:30 A.M., and the program will begin at 9:00 A.M. We will conclude with a BBQ lunch. The meeting will be held at the American Legion building, in Kennett. If you have any questions, please give me a call at 573-888-4722.


		Sarah Denkler, Horticulture Educator University of Missouri Extension P.O. Box 160, Kennett, MO 63857 573-888-4722 Denklers@missouri.edu Updated 04/18/08

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