By Elle Wood

HARRINGTON — The Mar-Del Watermelon Association was well represented at the National Watermelon Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona, last week.

It was there where 2023 Mar-Del Watermelon Queen Brielle Carter was voted runner-up for the National Watermelon Queen title.

Ms. Carter said her passion for agriculture, even more than for watermelon, is fueled by her family’s longtime involvement in the industry.

“I was blessed with leaders and experiences in my life,” she said. “I grew up on my grandparents’ produce farm (Little Wagon Produce in Bridgeville), where I picked vegetables, went to farmers markets and sold their produce, including watermelon.”

She also was a member of the Peach Blossom 4-H Club and the Lake Forest High School chapter of the National FFA Organization. Through these groups, she grew her passion for agriculture, as well as leadership and personal skills, Ms. Carter said.

Even in her current collegiate career, she has continued with the farming industry. The University of Delaware sophomore is majoring in agriculture and natural resources, with a minor in soil science.

She’s also heavily involved with the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. As an ag ambassador, she gives tours to prospective students, as well as serves on the Agriculture College Council, the university’s 4-H club and the soil judging team.

It was last February when she was awarded the title of Mar-Del Watermelon Queen. Through the experience, she has been able to meet many individuals, while sharing her passion.

“My favorite part of being the queen was all the people I was able to meet,” said Ms. Carter. “(The Mar-Del Watermelon Association is) an association that represents an entire industry, so I got to see both sides of the industry. I got to meet with the farmers, shippers and brokers but also with the consumers, so I was able to make an impact on them and tell the story of our farmers and where our food comes from.”

Through these relationships, she sought to become an honorable connection between the buyers and the sellers.

“I hope I served as a trustworthy source,” she said. “I hope I have connected at least one consumer with a farmer and (showed) everyone that we do have local watermelon here in Maryland and Delaware.

“If we can remind people of that, and we got them to eat watermelon, that is what I hope I did this year.”

That mission followed Ms. Carter to Scottsdale, where, from Feb. 21-24, she attended the National Watermelon Convention to vie for the 2024 National Watermelon Queen title.

She, along with six other watermelon queens from across the country, competed for the crown. The competition included a speech, a promotion walk, onstage questions, two sets of interviews and an evening gown portion, Ms. Carter explained.

When all was said and done, she earned second place, with Julianna Singley, the 2023 Gulf Coast Watermelon Queen, chosen for the national position.

Meanwhile, Ms. Carter’s reign as Mar-Del Watermelon Queen concluded Feb. 3, when the association crowned this year’s representative — Karli Abbott of Trappe, Maryland — at its annual convention.

Looking ahead, Ms. Carter is ready to grow her passion for agriculture through education and experience by making new marks on the field.

“What’s next for me is definitely taking up different internship opportunities,” she said. “I love both science and the business aspect of agriculture, so I’m going to try to learn more about agriculture from both perspectives.”

Promoting agriculture is a topic Ms. Carter holds close to her heart because she wants consumers to understand how it affects the food they consume.

“I have met the amazing people in this industry,” she added. “And I believe that everyone deserves to know where their food comes from, and it is coming from these amazing, dependable and trustworthy individuals, who truly put all their hard work and effort ... into the food they grow and feed their own families.”