Max Armstrong looks at the challenges facing California agriculture. He looks at one product where California is the No. 3 producer – watermelon. The state produces melons on about 10,000 acres a year. Max shares news of research from University of California Extension working on grafting for melon growers. The work looked at planting fewer plants farther apart to provide greater yield during an extended harvest season. Max reports on the research.

Max Armstrong's Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Max Armstrong, veteran farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness.

Photo: Frank Rothe/Getty Images Plus