<body><div>PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - As watermelon season reaches its peak, many farmers across South Mississippi are counting their losses after several weeks of rainfall recently.“This is the kind of flooding you might can grow some rice from, but definitely not a watermelon crop,” Seth Powell of Powell Family Farms said.Powell Family Farms, located in Mize, spans roughly 50 acres and is managed by brothers Seth and Andrew Powell and their father.The brothers said their family was expecting a significant harvest, which would be sold across Mississippi and parts of Alabama.Just five inches of rain put an end to those prospects.“I think they average around 23,000 pounds an acre,” Andrew said. “Our first plant was probably 10 or 12 acres.We might have sold maybe 35,000 or 40,000 pounds.”The brothers said excess water causes vines to wither and die, which in turn stunts each watermelon’s growth.Then, there are diseases, splitting and changes in texture and flavor.“They started cracking open and having soft, mushy spots,” Andrew said. “Ultimately, just blaming too much water.”Ross Overstreet with Lamar County Extension Services said farmers are already feeling a significant financial impact.“Farmers have put a lot of money into this,” Overstreet said. “Fertilizer, spraying, groundwork, planting on plastic irrigation.”Unfortunately, he said there isn’t much any of them can do to make up for it.“You’re going to have increased pest pressure later in the season as those pest numbers build up throughout the warmer summer months,” Overstreet said.For the Powells, the season has been humbling.The farm is the main supplier of watermelons for the annual Mississippi Watermelon Festival.The brothers said they will have watermelons readily available for the festival later this month, and it’s still “quality over quantity.”“Even though this is a bad year, we’re still blessed for what we have been able to gather and sell,” Seth said.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3XlYrK_1D5gXAsU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3XlYrK_1D5gXAsU00" width="1300" height="241" ><figcaption>WDAM 7 On Your Side composer template image (WDAM7)</figcaption></figure>Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.</div></body>

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PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - As watermelon season reaches its peak, many farmers across South Mississippi are counting their losses after several weeks of rainfall recently. “This is the kind of flooding you might can grow some rice from, but definitely not a watermelon crop,” Seth Powell of Powell Family Farms said.

South MS watermelon farmers see harvest decrease after heavy rainfall over past few weeks

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PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - As watermelon season reaches its peak, many farmers across South Mississippi are counting their losses after several weeks of rai

South MS watermelon farmers see harvest decrease after heavy rainfall over past few weeks

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