Hirakata Farms cantaloupe program ‘progressing well’ as plants play catch-up
Hirakata Farms cantaloupe program ‘progressing well’ as plants play catch-up
Heavy spring rains turned out to be too much of a good thing for a major cantaloupe grower’s planting season in Colorado’s lower Arkansas Valley, but by late June Hirakata Farms was seeing its plants catch up.
According to Gene Schneider, sales representative for Hirakata Farms in Rocky Ford, weather from June 1 through the third week had been favorable, with good daytime heat and warm nights.
“Prior to that we had experienced quite a bit of flooding and some hail,” Schneider said. “Hirakata Farms replanted some acreage two times. The grower had assessed each field and then hand-planted the acreage that could be replanted.”
He said that production this year will likely be off by some 20 percent, and the projected start dates of Aug. 1 for cantaloupe and Aug. 6 for watermelon and honeydew are 10 days to two weeks behind normal schedule.
“But the crop is progressing well at this point,” Schneider said. “The last three weeks have really been perfect, and the plants are catching up. Right now we are still planting some varietals, and we are hoping to have cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew through September.”
Schneider indicated that between 85 percent and 90 percent of the crop will be sold inside Colorado.
At the packing facility a new cooler has been added this year, bringing the total to four, and additional storage room was also built. Schneider said the product is picked and hauled to the facility, where it is washed, packed and cooled. It is shipped between 32 and 34 F., he said. Cantaloupe is packed in cartons, and watermelons are in bins.
The washers utilize a spray mechanism, and water is never recirculated, he said. Additionally, the third-party audited system can trace back product to the field where it is grown.
