Field Day: Melon Production and Marketing at Scale

Jordan Lyon partners with Rich and Irene Buser at Buser’s Produce, a farm near Conesville, Iowa, where they raise up to 60 acres of melons and pumpkins and 30 acres of sweet corn. At the height of the season, the farm sells these crops through area grocery stores, farmers markets, roadside stands and on-farm sales. To grow and market melons profitably at this scale takes careful management.

On the production side, Jordan pays attention to fall cover crop planting, spring termination, vertical tillage practices, disease management and harvest. Successful marketing requires consistent weekly calls, timely harvest and coordinated deliveries across southeast Iowa. At this field day, learn from Jordan and Rich about production and marketing at this scale, and hear Jordan’s vision for specialty crops in Iowa.