Meet our Farmers

Bob Stewart has been farming since 1998. He began growing watermelon in Immokalee, FL in 2009. Bob enjoys bringing his sons Boone and Bryson to the field and teaching them the difference between pollinators (seeded) and seedless watermelon.

Steve Singletary is the 3rd generation farmer in his family and has been farming his entire life, first with his father and brothers. And in 1993 he started farming on his own with his brother John. Now he farms with his boys Mathew and Cody. What he enjoys most about farming is having his boys by his side in the business he loves, growing watermelons.

Kyler Bishop is a 8th generation farmer. His parents and grand parents farmed watermelons, sweet potatoes, oranges, and raised cattle. He oversees the operations of C&L Farms for their Spring and Fall crops. Kyler was born and raised in Punta Gorda, Florida. He has been a member of the Melon 1 family since 2010.

Mathew Singletary is a 4th generation farmer. He has been farming with his Dad and Uncle his entire life. In 2009 with the help of his Dad and Uncle he started his own field which is now MSS Farms.He feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to not only learn, but to also be able to share a profession of what he is most passionate about.

Ralph Chastain is a 7th generation farmer. His father and grandfather grew watermelons from South Georgia to South Florida. He has been operating his own farm since 1982. Today he farms with his son, Chad Chastain and his brother-in-law Doug Miller.

Garrett is a 4th generation farmer who grows watermelons in Northern Florida.  In addition, he and his family specialize in coastal hay and beef production.

Rob Greene is a 4th generation farmer. While he has been farming watermelons for nearly 20 years, he is a very active farmer in south Georgia. He grows peanuts, soybeans, cotton, has some cattle, and a transportation division of Lime Creek.

MGM has three generations of farmers growing watermelons. Melvin, Michael and Ben (all pictured) embrace family farming, When Melvin began watermelon farming in 1977, he knew he was Mel-on! Together they grow watermelons and greenhouse tobacco plants.

Kyle is a 1st generation farmer. While he worked in and around agriculture all of his life, he did not begin farming full-time on his own until after 2005. Today, he grows watermelons, cotton, peanuts and soy beans in South Georgia.

Drew has been involved in agriculture his whole life. In addition to growing watermelons, Drew also owns and manages one of the largest turfgrass sod operations in the state of Georgia.

Jason Still is a 1st generation farmer. He began farming part-time, and started farming full time in 2006.

He farms with his wife Jan,  daughter Ansley Grace and his son Reece. All together he farms around 2000 acres per year. Jason grows watermelons, cotton, corn, peanuts, hay and cattle.

The Sanders family has been farming since 1903 in South Carolina. While they are legendary tomato growers, with a flair for thinking outside the box, they also grow a Fall watermelon crop. Today, the Sanders are 6th generation farmers, and for them it is truly a family business and legacy.

Melon Acres was founded in 1976 by Abner Horrall and Family and remains family-owned and is operated by Mike and Vicki Horrall along with their 3 children, Autumn, Jacob, and Whitney. The farm has grown to include over 1,000 acres of cantaloupes, watermelon, sweet corn,  and asparagus, and a Community Supported Agriculture program. The third generation of Melon Acres carries on the mission of passing on trusted, family quality fruits and vegetables.

Bill Harrell and his two sons, Charlie and David, are 4th and 5th generation farmers. Historically tobacco, corn, and soybean farmers, they expanded into the produce market in 1998. They now grow cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and have been growing watermelons with Melon 1 since 2011. Approximately 160 acres of watermelons are grown annually.

The Reid Family name has been synonymous with farming for over 200 years. Today, Mr. Dennis Reid and his brother Rick Reid and his son Denny Reid farm together with Stephen Abt, Scott Abt, Zach Blanchfield and Vance Monroe. Although they grow 700 acres of watermelons, all together they grow 4,000 acres of commodities in Maryland.

Roger Swartzentruber is a 3rd generation farmer. Today, he farms watermelons with his son Ryan. All together they also gorw corn, soybeans, wheat and raise cattle. When Roger’s grandson Oliver (pictured) grows up, he going to take over the family farm too.

Corey and Scot are fourth generation farmers who started growing their own vegetable garden for their own small roadside produce stand when they were teenagers. Today, they still have a roadside stand, but it is much bigger. In addition to watermelons, they also grow tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, cantaloupe corn and soybeans. Today they grow nearly 600 acres of watermelons.

Jesse is a multi-generation farmer and businessman in Southern Delaware. In addition to growing watermelons, Jesse also farms field corn, soybeans, wheat, peas and sweet corn. The Vanderwendes also have a strong family history in dairy farming, and raising chickens. The Vanderwende name is also synonymous with their legendary ice cream, which is sold all over the state. Currently, Jesse is also serving as a State Representative for the 35th district.

Gary Cecil is a generational farmer in northern Kentucky, Cecil Farms, as it is today started in 1981. Now Gary and his wife Imelda and their three children Ryan, Suzanne and Katie all work together to grow watermelons, tobacco, potatoes, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers and pumpkins. Annually, they grow between 250 – 500 acres of watermelons.

Freddy grows a large variety of watermelons with his family and his team on the West coast of Guatemala.