Pumpkin Crop Looking Good for Halloween and Thanksgiving?

Remember this time last year when we were all in a panic about the pumpkin shortage we kept hearing about? Well, there's no need to lose sleep over nightmares about no pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, because farmers are saying this year's crop is looking a-OK.

Honestly, I really thought we would be hearing about a pumpkin shortage again this year. I have not seen as many pumpkins for sale in local stores. The Pumpkin Patch in Caledonia seemed to be wiped out of pumpkins pretty early in the month. My attempt to grow pumpkins this year was an utter failure because the dang bugs devoured every single one of my plants, despite our best efforts.

I am happy to say though, that I was wrong. Apparently "pumpkin farming" is something neither my husband or I should add to our resume, because conditions we fabulous for pumpkin growing this year.

In fact, one Illinois farmer named Mark Berg recently told Fortune.com that his 2016 pumpkin harvest has averaged about 30 tons per acre. Compare that to last year's haul, which averaged only about two to three tons per acre, things are good. Yay! Pumpkin pie for everyone!!