Watermelon growers will pay 50% more to promote watermelons

The US Department of Agriculture has increased the fee that watermelon growers and importers pay to fund the National Watermelon Promotion Board. This means that domestic growers with 10 acres or more, and importers of 150,000 pounds or more, will now pay nine cents per hundredweight instead of six cents.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board uses these fees to fund marketing campaigns, research, and educational programs for watermelons. This increase means the Board will have more money to spend on these activities. For consumers, this could mean more watermelon advertising or new varieties of watermelon in stores.