The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

MOTHER NATURE GRIDLOCKS NORTHEAST PUMPKIN PRODUCTION

KRISTIN MELODY
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

An average pumpkin sold in New York City could cost $25 this Halloween—twice the cost of the previous year, according to Associated Press.

The price of a pumpkin in the northeastern states could nearly double due to nature’s adverse effects that devastated pumpkin crops.

According to The Week magazine, the pumpkin shortage in the northeast stemmed from three factors. First, the season got off to a late start due to heavy rain fall in spring and summer; flooding caused late pumpkin planting. Second, a fungus that thrives in wet conditions, phytophthora, infected most of the northeastern crops. Third, Hurricane Irene swept the east coast and destroyed the remaining pumpkin crops or washed them away, leaving many farmers without pumpkins for harvest and income.

Other parts of the nation are able to sell at normal prices, including San Diego’s local pumpkin patch Bates Nut Farm.

According to a Bates Nut Farm employee, since the pumpkins were grown locally at the patch, Bates had not been affected by the pumpkin shortage, so the farm did not raise prices from last year.

This excluded the jack-o-lanterns which went up $0.25 from last year. Bates purchased these from a Colorado farm, which had raised its prices to accommodate the shortage. A standard-size pumpkin at Bates cost $6. The “Big Macs,” huge pumpkins, ranging from 25 – 115 pounds, started at $0.45 per pound and lowered to $0.30 per pound by the end of October.

Bates Nut Farm, a 100 acre community farm in Valley Center established in 1921, hosts local events such as classic car shows, art festivals and scarecrow contests. The farm also generates income through the Bates Nut Farm general store that grows, produces and packages items such as dried fruit, fudge, nuts, hot sauces, oils and candies and seasonal decorations and knick-knacks.

The Pumpkin Station is a local San Diego pumpkin grower who has four locations that sell pumpkins and have inflatable toys and a corn maze. Two farm locations in Rancho Bernardo and Bonita are where the Pumpkin Station grows a small amount of their pumpkins.

“I didn’t even know there was a pumpkin shortage this year. The Pumpkin Station has not raised their prices in 5 years,” a Pumpkin Station employee said.

A soccer ball-sized pumpkin costs $4 or the patch sells larger “bodacious pumpkins.”

The Home Depot in Vista charges $3.33 for small pumpkins, $4.48 for large and $8.48 for extra large. Last year, they charged $2.99 for the small size. The Home Depot buys their pumpkins from growers in the U.S.

The 2007 Census of Agriculture reported total harvested pumpkins for sale in the U.S. were grown on 92,955 acres of land at 15,088 farms, producing approximately 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin annually.

Photo by Kristin Melody

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  • C

    CarolynOct 26, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    This are fun facts about pumpkins that I did not know as a consumer.
    Thanks

    Reply
  • K

    KristinOct 25, 2011 at 7:03 pm

    Bates Nut Farm is a great place for family or community outings. I hope everybody enjoys the Halloween season.

    Reply