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Illinois also maintained its leading position in pumpkin acreage
with 14,800 acres, harvesting nearly twice as many acres as any
of the other top states.
The higher production levels mean additional tax revenues.
Illinois is home to two major pumpkin processing plants: Nestle
Libby in Morton and Seneca Foods in Princeville.
A Jo Daviess County grower, Michael Dittmar, said a late frost
on May 7 wiped out the apples at Dittmar Farms and Orchard in
Elizabeth, but the pumpkins were not impacted by heavy rains and
tornadoes.
“We survived all the storms. Our pumpkins are probably the best
we've ever had,” Dittmar told The Center Square.
Jack Lanxon is Farm Operations Manager at Eckert’s, with three
Illinois locations near St. Louis and one in Kentucky, near
Lexington.
“We had a lot of timely rains. It never really got too dry in
our part and I would agree that this is one of the best pumpkin
crops we've seen in a while,” Lanxon told The Center Square.
Southfork Homestead Pumpkin Patch in Edgar County, however, lost
several acres of pumpkins due to flooding and rain wash and
reported “not much” yield.
Southfork is located in Paris, Illinois, not far from the
Indiana state line.
Many Illinois pumpkin farms draw visitors from other states.
Eckert’s is based in Belleville, with seasonal locations in
Grafton and Millstadt.
“Pumpkins overall are important for this time of year and just
for us kind of getting tourists, we call them, people from the
other side of the river, St. Louis area, getting people over
here to experience the farm,” Lanxon said.
Dittmar Farms and Orchard attracts tourists who visit nearby
Galena and people from Iowa and Wisconsin.
“We're advertising heavily into the Dubuque market because
there's a lot of people there, so Galena, Dubuque, and then, of
course, Chicago with the visitors to Galena. That's what we
advertise, and I think we're doing all right,” Dittmar said.
When asked about the higher cost of diesel this year, Dittmar
said he only has 20 acres for apples, pumpkins and popcorn.
“We're not doing 2,000 acres, so, we're relatively all right. We
really haven't noticed that,” Dittmar said.
Lanxon said diesel is one of the biggest costs any farm has.
“In terms of pumpkin production, I wouldn't say it's really
affected things too much. They don't require a ton of management
compared to other things,” Lanxon said.
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