Watermelon Grower Summit

Last month, we hosted our inaugural Watermelon Grower Summit in McAllen, Texas.

At Seminis, as part of Vegetables by Bayer, we are not only focused in providing quality seeds to our customers but invested in our growers’ success. We understand the needs of the market are everchanging and recognize the value of providing our growers with resources beyond the seed.

Our first ever Watermelon Grower Summit offered Texas watermelon growers, seed dealers and other industry experts a unique opportunity to connect with each other from across the value chain, strengthening relationships and fostering collaboration within the watermelon industry.

Our R&D team provided background of our breeding and testing strategy, showing our commitment to share our process in developing new products that meet market needs. Attendees received updates on the latest Texas production and consumer trends from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Growers also had the opportunity to participate in an open dialogue with a retail buyer to better understand fruit characteristics needed to adapt to consumer preferences.

A few more highlights of the event include the presentation of disease management research shared by distinguished university experts from Texas A&M and the University of Georgia. We also were graced by the presence of the 2024 and 2025 Texas Watermelon Queens, who were excited to learn about the watermelon production process.

Seminis, as part of Vegetables by Bayer, is committed to providing its growers with new tools and strategies to maintain a competitive edge in a fast-evolving industry. This was not only a learning opportunity for our attendees, but for us as a seed company to continue to collaborate closely with those involved in the industry with the same goal of providing quality products to the market.