Embassy of the United States Ottawa, Canada

Florida Watermelon Queen Katelyn Kelley at a watermelon eating contest at the Longo's Bathurst Street store in Vaughn, Ontario.

The U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service in Canada recently participated in the National Watermelon Board's Watermelon Queen tour that included stops at 6 Longos stores across the Greater Toronto Area.

The National Watermelon Board represents 1,500 watermelon producers, handlers, and importers from forty-four states that grow watermelons, including the top-producing states: Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and Arizona. Watermelon is in the U.S.'s top-10 fresh fruit exports to Canada, and Canada accounts for 98% of all U.S. watermelon exports, amounting to $69 million in trade in 2010.

The National Watermelon Board in the U.S. selects eight chapter queens who compete for the national position at an annual convention, and serves as a spokesperson and ambassador in promoting the health benefits and consumption of watermelon across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Japan.