Melon Acres   Oaktown, IN

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 85 acres. 

From this modest beginning, Melon Acres has grown to the present 250 acres of cantaloupe, 390 acres of watermelon, 140 acres of sweet corn, 40 acres of cucumbers, and 180 acres of asparagus.  In order to maintain a three-year crop rotation, Melon Acres also grows approximately 1500 acres of seed corn, green beans, corn, wheat, milo, 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.  In 2007, Mike's three children, Autumn, Jake, and Whitney, were brought into the family business, expanding Melon Acres to a three-generation operation.  Although, all three are presently in college, each is very active in the operation.  Autumn's responsibilities include food safety planning and documentation, scouting the produce fields, collecting and testing of melon petioles for sap sampling, and performing as an evening supervisor of the market office.  Jake, among other things, is responsible for supervising pre-planting field preparation, planting, trickle irrigation installation, and the operation of the watermelon packing shed.  Jake has been the primary researcher in the use of a GPS system to lay plastic mulch, enabling Melon Acres to maintain a consistent interval between rows of produce.  Whitney's assigned duties include supervision of the cucumber, mini-watermelon, and specialty cantaloupe packing lines, supervising a local crew in the field prior to harvest, and performing as an evening supervisor of the market office.