In Greater Des Moines, we’re used to seeing our colleagues land on all kinds of national boards and ratings and other proclamations of glory. 

We usually let it slide when we are slighted, but this time we can’t stand by in the face of such seediness. The National Watermelon Promotion Board sent out a news release noting all the fine people who had been appointed to the board this round. 

Not one Iowan. Maybe they thought service on the board would be too much of a rind for us.

There’s someone from Nashville, Ga., on the board. We have Nashville, too, In Jackson County, west of Maquoketa. 

But more important, we have watermelons. Heck, we have so many watermelon festivals, there’s a special website.The Montrose event even has a Facebook page. 

Then again, a federal list of the nine top watermelon states doesn’t include Iowa, which also didn’t make a list of five also-rans. But let’s not get in a seed-spitting contest over technicalities.

Iowa State University, which has a patent on oblong seedless watermelons, noted a couple of years ago that production of watermelon, muskmelon and honeydew had expanded to 200 acres in 2012. We have 13.3 million acres of corn, by comparison, so sure, that’s bigger. Not surprisingly, we’ve done better on the national corn, soybean and pork boards. 

In fact, just this week the National Biodiesel Board announced that Chad Stone of Ames-based Renewable Energy Group would serve as vice chairman, and Iowa soybean farmer Ron Heck would be secretary. And two other Iowans were elected to the board: Tom Brooks of Western Dubuque Biodiesel, chairman of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, and Troy Alberts of Ag Processing Inc.

Not even watermelon-smashing comedian Gallagher can take that away from us.