Hot weather during July and August slowed development, but cooler weather in September helped the crop recover.
Heads are slightly smaller than average.
Harvest is expected to proceed normally. California producers expect to harvest 4,100 acres, a 14 percent increase from last year. Fall harvest in California is on schedule. Nationally, Fall cantaloup acreage for harvest is estimated at 12,800 acres, up 2 percent from last year and up 13 percent from 1996. Hot temperatures in July and August created stress in some areas, but the crop recovered nicely after more seasonal September temperatures arrived.