Local farmers say there’s a pumpkin shortage
This video is no longer available.
TOONE, Tenn. — One local farm says pumpkin production is down about 50 percent this year. Ray Gilmer owns Falcon Ridge Farm in Toone and says this shortage is unusual. “Well we’ve only been in the pumpkin business about 5 years and we’ve not seen this,” Gilmer said. 30 percent of Gilmer’s crops were ruined this summer because of the weather. He also blames the pumpkin shortage on this summer’s unusual wet and cool weather. “We still have a lot of pumpkins, but they didn’t get as big and they aren’t keeping as well because of all the water,” Gilmer said. Ray’s son says they did predict this, but it was worse earlier in the season. “It’s a little better now, but pumpkin numbers are down regionally for sure,” Bart Gilmer said. The Gilmer’s said the weather isn’t only hurting their crop it’s also effecting their revenue. “It cuts back on visitors being here and about 90 percent of our pumpkin sales are when people are when people come to the farm and pick them themselves,” Bart Gilmer said. They say in the case of severe weather there’s only so much they can do to protect their farm, “infrastructure our barns and things we’ll make sure everything’s shut up, put the animals up that we can put up,” Bart said. “As far as the crops go, the Christmas trees and the other berry crops we just kind of have to hope for the best,” Ray said. Ray Gilmer told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News that in addition to the shortage the pumpkins are also significantly smaller, “and we sell them by the pound so that’s pretty devastating to us.” He says he feels blessed because some farmers didn’t have any pumpkins this year. The Gilmers said there’s a chance they might run out their pumpkins for the first time. Last year the farm had pumpkins over 100 pounds, but this year the biggest one weighed in at around 32 pounds.
