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Sumter farmer loses entire crop of beloved Bradford watermelons

Nat Bradford's family has been growing the crop for more than a century, but heavy rain led this year's crop to be destroyed.

SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — Old age comes with complications - a reality Nat Bradford knows well.

His family has been producing specialty Bradford-breed watermelons since the 1850s, known for their sweet, dark-green skin.

"The Bradford Watermelon always has some challenges, 'cause it's an old watermelon variety," Bradford said. "This year, there were challenges that kind of caught us out of left field."

He pointed toward an image on his phone. 

"This is late afternoon, the sun's going down and you're just seeing all that vibrant, young, new growth," Bradford said. "That was just before we started to getting all that heavy rain."

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And, just like that, a new challenge emerged - disease and lack of pollination.

"We had about 12 to 14 days of rain and cloudy weather," Bradford said. "Monitoring the crop and hoping that they could rebound.... I kind of made a decision yesterday.... We just didn't have the numbers."

The loss was worth over $20,000, Bradford said.

He posted the news to Facebook, offering a refund, but commenters replied back with support. 

IMPORTANT WATERMELON UPDATE: PLEASE READ!! ***************************** It is with much sadness that I must make this...

Posted by Bradford Watermelon Company on Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Many were in love with the history of Bradford's - a story Clay Hill, who preordered this year, knows well.

"People would get in like gun fights trying to steal watermelons out of patches and this watermelon was just lost to history until Nat reached out to this professor," Hill said.

RELATED: Sumter woman grows watermelon that weighs as much as a child

The watermelon was a lost family heirloom that was rediscovered Nat Bradford. The product has since gained national attention after falling out of commercial production in the 1900s as the market sought hard, thick skinned melons that are more easily shipped.

"I appreciate what he does and, you know, I know he's going to land on his feet again," Hill said.

Bradford found the words encouraging, adding one piece of advice for other farmers.

"Don't grow just watermelons, Bradford said. "While we're sad about this crop, we're hopeful about this one," Bradford said.

Those interested in supporting the family can do so by buying other crops like collards, corn and okra. To learn more, visit their Facebook or website.

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