Abner Horrall with his family founded Melon Acres, Inc. in 1976.  At that time, Abner worked a full-time job in a local battery factory.  In his spare time he, his wife, daughter, and two sons struggled to grow cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, and tomatoes on approximately 75 acres.

From this modest beginning, Melon Acres has grown to the present 400+ acres of seedless watermelon, 175 acres of sweet corn and 80 acres of asparagus.  In order to rotate crops annually, Melon Acres also grows 1200-1500 acres of seed corn, green beans, corn, wheat, and soybeans.

Since the beginning, Melon acres has been a leader in the produce industry by providing high quality, value-added produce to its customers.  To accomplish this goal, Melon Acres has compiled a very impressive list of "firsts" in the Indiana melon industry.

Melon Acres was among the first in the area to use rye strips and plastic mulch to harvest an earlier crop, the first to use forced-air cooling to increase the storage time and quality of Indiana grown muskmelon, and the first muskmelon grower in Indiana to experiment with the use of packing lines to bring produce to market more quickly, more attractively, and in better condition.

In the 2001 harvest season, Melon Acres will be the first in Indiana to use a watermelon weight sizer to assure size consistency.  Melon Acres continues to perform many tests and experiments in its efforts to improve the quality, longevity, and marketability of its produce. Starting in 2005 we will be implementing the use of barcodes on all watermelon bins for our new "TRACEBACK" program. This new program will ensure the ability to account for all melons shipped from our facility.

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