As Melon Acres continues to expand into new products, into new technologies to increase the shelf life of the produce, and into new crops, the responsibilities of the Research and Development Department evolve, also. The ultimate goal of the R&D Department is to increase the profitability of Melon Acres customers in a dynamic marketplace.
Melon Acres is an environmentally responsible operation, making every effort to limit the effect of pesticides and fertilizers to the local environment. Norman Conde and Autumn Horrall not only scout the fields for Melon Acres, but they also use Melcast, a system developed by Purdue University, to determine the need for the application of pesticides. Together, the scouting and the use of Melcast prevent the application of unnecessary pesticide.
To
limit the application of fertilizer Norm Conde, a local
science teacher, tests sap from the cantaloupe and watermelon plants to
determine the absorption of nitrogen and potassium. This information
is then used to determine the need for fertilizer. If fertilizer
is needed, then Norm and his son or daughter will inject the fertilizer
through the trickle irrigation system. This reduces the amount of
fertilizer placed on a field and also places the fertilizer in the root-zone
of the cantaloupe and watermelon plants.
Melon Acres makes every effort to insure that your produce
is high quality and in excellent condition for your market. Sweet
corn is hand-picked, packed in burlap bags, hydro-cooled, and packed onto
semi trailers with ice chopped so fine that we've had snowball fights in
July after loading a trailer! The cantaloupe is handpicked, washed,
waxed, sized, and packed into bins with a minimum amount of handling.
The binned cantaloupe are then forced-air cooled to approximately 38 degrees
to slow decay, providing you more time to market an excellent product. 
Watermelon
and pumpkin are also picked by hand, weighed (2001 will be the first time
to use the watermelon weight sizer), and binned in a production line.
The 2001 season will be the first year to harvest our asparagus crop.
It will be handpicked, bundled, hydro-cooled, and boxed ready for your
market. Our objective is to provide you with an attractive, high
quality product on which you can earn a profit.
Lucinda
Rodrick, a graduate of the Business Department at Indiana State University,
is the Melon Acres, Inc. Office Manager and is also in charge of sales.
Lucinda, with her friendly, professional personality, is your final link
to acquiring the best quality asparagus, sweet corn, cantaloupe, watermelon,
and pumpkins available in Indiana.