In Ohio and Michigan, some large crops were destroyed by the drought and some farmers report smaller and fewer pumpkins. Those farmers who still have pumpkins in their fields report good quality. At Klickman's Great Pumpkin Patch near Elmore, Ore., the largest pumpkin farm in the are with 160 acres, officials said the crop is down 30 percent from what was expected.
This year, pumpkin growers may have to raise their prices to account for added irrigation expenses or shipping pumpkins in from out-of-state. It would be the first increase in several years.
Once grown primarily for food, pumpkins have long had another life as Halloween Jack-o'-lanterns. In more recent years, people are using plain pumpkins in fall harvest decorations outside their homes. Bundled with cornstalks or hay bales, pumpkins add a country look that celebrates fall.
Nationwide, farmers grow an average of 5.5 pounds of pumpkins for every American. About 0.1 pounds goes for food. The rest are carved or used for decoration.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's, Census of Agriculture, pumpkin production is up. In 1997, almost 75,000 acres of farmland nationwide was dedicated to growing pumpkins. Those figures are triple the 1982 numbers.
Illinois is the largest pumpkin-producing state, with more than 7,600 acres harvested in 1997. Other key states include Michigan (4,600 acres), Ohio (4,300 acres), and Pennsylvania (4,500 acres).
Efforts to boost revenue mean farmers sometimes offer entertainment and other amenities. In a growing trend across the country, many farms are turning to u-pick operations, linking activities like hayrides, haunted houses and corn mazes with the experience of selecting a pumpkin.
The idea of marketing pumpkins and other agricultural items to the public through entertainment farms started in the 1970s, but has become intense in the past five to 10 years. What once sold as a food item to packers for minimal prices has now become more lucrative through direct marketing. In farms across the country, October brings cars and school buses full of children, eager to find the largest pumpkin they can carry or roll home.
After the flurry, when the fields have been picked over and the holiday season is almost over, farmers may turn cattle into the fields to eat the remainder of the crop.
But the memories of the pumpkin-picking experience remain with the family for years to come.
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